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LIBRARY 

OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/barnassearschrisOOhoverich 


THE  REV.  BARNA8  SEARS,  D  D.,  ABOUT  1871 


BARNAS  SEARS 

A  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATOR 
HIS  MAKING  AND  WORK 


BY 


ALVAH  HOVEY,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

AUTHOR  OF       A  MANUAL   OF  CHRISTIAN  THEOLOGY,"      'STUDIES 
IN   ETHICS  AND   RELIGION,"   ETC. 


"  Humility  in  the  solemn  presence  of  a  mysterious  universe, 
and  reverence  for  the  Power  that  framed  it,  best  become  those 
who  are  but  the  creatures  of  a  day." 


ILLUSTRATED 


SILVER,  BURDETT  &  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  BOSTON  CHICAGO 


miu 


r  ^ 


3^-  //<^ 


Copyright,  1902, 
By  silver,  BURDETT  &  COMPANY 


MOTIVE 

For  many  years  the  writer  of  these  pages 
has  felt  a  strong  desire  to  give  expression 
to  his  sentiments  of  gratitude  and  love  to 
Barnas  Sears,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  his  teacher  in 
Christian  Theology  at  Newton  (1845-8),  and 
his  honored  friend  to  the  close  of  a  noble 
life  (1880).  No  sufficient  record  of  his  truly 
eminent  services  to  the  cause  of  education, 
whether  theological,  collegiate,  or  popular, 
can  be  made  within  the  limits  of  a  small  vol- 
ume; but  even  a  brief  account  of  those  ser- 
vices, as  performed  by  such  a  man,  may  be 
welcome  to  not  a  few  readers  who  find  incen- 
tives to  strenuous  labor  for  the  good  of  man- 
kind in  the  lives  of  past  toilers  in  the  same 
field. 

It  is  not  forgotten  that  an  eloquent  tribute 
to  his  character  as  a  man,  and  to  his  ability 
as  a  teacher  of  theology,  was  paid  by  his 


iv  Motive 

enthusiastic  pupil,  Doctor  Oakman  S.  Steams ; 
but  it  was  published  in  the  Baptist  Review  for 
1883,  and  is  accessible  to  few  at  the  present 
time;  moreover,  it  spoke  of  him  chiefly  ''as 
a  theological  professor,"  while  a  great  part  of 
his  public  service  was  in  behalf  of  academic 
or  popular  education.  It  may  be  true,  as  Doc- 
tor Stearns  intimates,  that  he  never  achieved 
a  greater  success  than  in  his  work  at  Newton, 
but  it  must  always  be  remembered  that  his 
work  in  that  school  was  but  a  small  part  of 
what  he  did  for  his  country  and  mankind. 
It  was  brilliant  and  fruitful  service,  but  only 
a  fraction  of  his  life-work,  which  must  not 
be  suffered  to  obscure  the  wide  compass  and 
rare  merit  of  the  rest. 


:hapter 

CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chronology          .... 

ix 

I. 

Ancestry  and  Education  . 

I 

II. 

At  Hartford  and  Hamilton 

22 

III. 

In  Germany  and  France   . 

26 

IV. 

Professor    and    President    at 

Newton 

54 

V. 

Secretary     of     Massachusetts 

Board  of  Education 

76 

VI. 

President    and    Professor    of 

Brown  University  . 

91 

VII. 

Agent  of  the  Peabody  Educa- 

tional Fund     . 

no 

VIII. 

Home  and  Social  Life 

151 

IX. 

Last  Address  read  by  Dr.  Ellis 

160 

X. 

Retrospect  

164 

Appendix 

173 

THE  SEARS  COAT  OF  ARMS 


ILLUSTRATIONS 
The  Rev.  Barnas  Sears,  D.D.,  about 

1871     .  .  .  .  .  .        Frontispiece 

Residence  of  Dr.  Sears  at  Hamilton,    page 
New  York        .         .        .        .        .24 

F.  A.  G.  Tholuck,  Ph.D.  .        .        .42 

Residence  of  Dr.  Sears,  Centre  Street, 

NevVton  Centre,   Mass.,   1838-1848       60 

The  Rev.   Barnas   Sears,  D.D.,  about 

1850 78 

Residence  of  Dr.  Sears,  Pleasant 
Street,  Newton  Centre,  Mass., 
1848-1865 88 

The  Rev.   Barnas  Sears,   D.D.,  about 

1861 94 

President's  House,  Brown  University     106 

The  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop      .        .     132 

Residence  of  Dr.  Sears  at  Staunton, 

Virginia 152 

Corey    Hill    Homestead,     Brookline, 

Mass. 172 

Mrs.   Sears,   Mrs.   Fultz,  Capt.  W.  B. 

Sears,  Capt.  Edward  Sears    .        .     176 


CHRONOLOGY 

Bom  in  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  November  19,  1802. 

Entered  Brown  University  in  the  spring  of  1822. 

Graduated  from  Brown  University,  September;.  1825. 

Entered  the  Newton  Theological  Institution,  October, 
1825. 

Commenced  preaching  for  First  Baptist  Church,  Hart- 
ford, May  19,  1827. 

Ordained  pastor  of  the  same,  July  11,  1827. 

Dismissed  at  his  own  request,  March,  1829. 

Professor  of  Languages,  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  September, 
1829. 

Married  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  July  6,  1830. 

Studied  in  Germany  and  France,  1833-35. 

Professor  of  Christian  Theology  in  the  Newton  Theo- 
logical Institution,  1836-48. 

President  of  the  Newton  Theological  Institution,  1839- 
48. 

S.T.D.  by  Harvard  University,  1841. 

Secretary  of  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  1848- 

55- 
President  and  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy.  Brown 

University,  1855-67. 
LL.D.  by  Yale  University,  1862. 
General  Agent  of  the  Peabody  Educational  Fund,  1867- 

80. 
President  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union, 

1874-77- 
Died  at  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1880. 
Funeral  at  Brookline,  Mass.,  July  9,  1880. 


Barnas  Sears: 

A  Christian  Educator 


l^/V/vn-I^   '    \      CHAPTER  I 

CESTRY   AND   EDUCATION 

The  American  ancestry  of  Barnas  Sears  is 
worthy  of  distinct  notice.  He  was  of  the 
seventh  generation  from  Richard  Sears,  the 
emigrant  ancestor  (from  Colchester,  Eng- 
land) of  a  family  well  known  in  New  Eng- 
land for  business  enterprise,  public  spirit,  and 
religious  influence.  Between  Richard  Sears 
the  first  and  Barnas  Sears  the  seventh  there 
were  in  the  direct  line  four  Pauls  and  one 
Joshua  (Paur  Paul',  Joshua*,  Paul\  Paul") 
making  it  reasonable,  if  names  are  charac- 
teristic, to  look  for  sound  theology,  courage, 


2  Barnas  Sears 

zeal,  and  courtesy  in  the  subject  of  our 
sketch. 

Barnas  Sears  was  born  on  the  19th  day  of 
November,  1802,  in  Sandisfield,  Berkshire 
County,  Massachusetts.  His  parents  were 
Paul  and  Rachel  (Granger)  Sears,  both  of 
whom  lived  to  a  good  age.  His  father  was 
born  February  2,  1769,  and  died  September 
25,  1851,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  somewhat 
uneven  temper,  and  to  have  had  an  unmar- 
ried brother  of  rugged  nature,  who  was  dis- 
posed to  undervalue  the  studious  aspirations 
of  his  nephew,  Barnas. 

His  mother  was  born  August  4,  1771,  and 
died  August  23,  1846,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  very  even 
temper  and  gentle  spirit,  always  character- 
ized by  her  son  as  one  of  the  sweetest  Chris- 
tians. It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that 
we  are  told  by  one  who  ought  to  know,  that 
*'  he  had  inherited  a  quick  temper,  but  by  the 
time  his  family  were  grown  he  had  it  under 
perfect  control.''     It  is  added  by  the  same 


A  Christian  Educator  3 

witness  that  ''his  heart  was  warm  and  affec- 
tionate, so  that,  although  separated  from  all 
his  brothers  and  sisters  for  many  years,  he 
seldom  spoke  of  them  without  emotion/'  ^ 

But,  in  looking  for  the  sources  of  tempera- 
ment and  ability,  one  need  not  restrict  his 
quest  to  a  man's  parents.  His  earlier  ances- 
try may  be  represented  as  well.  And  Doctor 
Sears  may  have  had  in  mind  this  fact  when 
he  said:  ''My  grandfather,  whom  I  remem- 
ber well,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the 
New  Boston  district  of  Sandisfield.  He 
came  from  Chatham,  though  he  was  born  in 
Harwich,  Massachusetts,  on  the  Cape.  He  was 
so  pious  and  prayerful  a  man  that  young 
Christians  of  all  denominations  used  to  visit 
him,  and  gave  him  the  name  of  'the  saint 
of  New  Boston.'  "     This  grandfather,  Paul 

^  The  children  of  Paul  and  Rachel  (Granger)  Sears 
were  all  bom  in  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  in  the  following 
order:  (i)  Mary,  July  2,  1788;  (2)  Alfred,  September 
27,  1795;  (3)  Belinda,  August  23,  1798;  (4)  Sally,  July 
I,  1 801;  (5)  Bamas,  November  19,  1802;  (6)  Lyman, 
September,  1904;  (7)  David  G.,  June  29,  1806;  (8) 
John  R.,  January  11,  1809;  (9)  Hiram,  July  8,  181 1;* 
(10)  Henry,  August  3,  18 15. 


4  Barnas  Sears 

Sears,  was  first  connected  with  the  **  Stand- 
ing Order'';  but  during  the  '* great  awaken- 
ing*' he  became  a  Separatist,  and  afterwards, 
following  out  his  convictions,  he  united  with 
others  in  organizing  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Sandisfield. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life  were 
passed  by  Barnas  Sears  on  his  father's  farm, 
with  only  such  opportunities  for  instruction 
as  farm-boys  had  in  the  county  of  Berkshire 
a  hundred  years  ago.  The  book  of  nature, 
with  its  hills  and  mountains,  its  forests  and 
streams,  its  winters  and  summers,  was  open 
to  him  as  to  all,  but  the  country  schools  were 
not  as  good  as  they  have  since  been  made. 
It  was  before  the  days  of  Horace  Mann  and 
the  most  vigorous  attempts  to  improve  the 
character  of  the  public  schools  of  the  Bay 
State.  But  even  then  bright  children  in 
simple  ways  laid  hold  at  an  early  age  of 
the  keys  of  knowledge,  and  gave  to  those  who 
observed  their  proficiency,  promise  of  fu- 
ture distinction.  With  such  children  must 
be  ntunbered  the  one  scholar,  in  a  family  of 


A  Christian  Educator  5 

ten  (seven  brothers  and  three  sisters),  whose 
name  was  Barnas,  and  who  is  described  by  a 
schoolmate  as  ''thoughtful,  exemplary,  and 
at  the  same  time  vigorous,  fond  of  fun,  full 
of  jokes,  an  unconscious  leader/*  Judging 
him  by  this  description,  the  boy  was  '*  father 
of  the  man/'  At  the  age  of  seven  or  eight 
he  was  a  ruddy,  laughing-eyed  lad,  notice- 
able anywhere  in  a  group  of  his  own  age,  and 
attractive  even  to  strangers.  How  rich  in 
lessons  of  life  must  those  early  years  in  Berk- 
shire have  been! 

In  speaking  of  Barnas  as  **the  one  scholar 
in  a  family  of  ten  children,''  no  shadow  of 
disrespect  is  meant  for  the  others.  The 
children  were  all  capable  and  efficient. 
Several  of  his  brothers  became  successful 
merchants,  first  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
and  afterwards  in  New  York  City ;  and  none 
of  them  were  lacking  in  vigorous  character. 
They  knew  how  to  bring  things  to  pass. 
Though  not  scholars,  they  were  well-in- 
formed and  worthy  men  and  women. 

Referring  to  the  common  schools  of  New 


6  Barnas  Sears 

England  as  they  were  conducted  towards  the 
year  1830,  Doctor  Sears  wrote  this  for  his 
last  address :  ''  I  will  speak  of  them  as  I  knew 
them,  for  I  was  in  them  about  ten  years  as  a 
pupil  and  six  winters  as  a  teacher  during  the 
first  quarter  of  the  century.  The  school- 
houses  were  somewhat  improved.  The  large 
fireplaces,  the  movable  seats,  and  the  dunce- 
blocks  and  fool's  caps  were  going  out  of  use. 
Discipline  was  still  severe,  but  there  was  a 
better  supply  of  books,  a  better  classification 
of  the  pupils,  and  a  more  regular  order  of 
exercises.  Still,  everything  was  mechanical 
and  followed  a  certain  routine,  repeating 
empty  words  in  a  way  which  ossified  thought ; 
and  the  teacher  had  so  many  things  to  do  at 
once,  and  never  time  to  do  anything  well, 
that  there  was  often  not  a  little  confusion.'* 
This  statement  is  followed  by  a  remark- 
able ** word-picture'*  of  the  daily  exercises 
of  such  a  school,  beginning  with  reading  by 
the  highest  class,  the  account  of  which  may 
be  omitted.  '^During  all  the  time  that  the 
lower  classes  were  reading  the  school-room 


A  Christian  Educator  7 

presented  a  lively  scene.  The  teacher's  eyes, 
ears,  tongue,  and  hands  were  busy,  and 
sometimes  nearly  all  at  once.  For  example, 
while  with  one  eye  and  one  ear  he  was  attend- 
ing to  a  reading  lesson,  he  might,  with  the 
other,  discover  strange  tricks, — especially  if 
he  turned  around  suddenly — and  would 
shake  one  boy,  pinch  the  ear  or  pull  the  hair 
of  another,  and  call  out  a  third  for  severer 
punishment.  Meanwhile  he  would,  almost 
incessantly,  hear  these  words :  '  Please  mend 
my  pen,'  'Please  set  me  a  copy,'  'May  I  go 
out?'  '  May  I  go  to  the  fire?'  '  Will  you  look 
over  my  sum?'  These  shrill  sounds  were 
heard  till  the  youngest  class  was  reached,  and 
the  child  had  repeated  the  alphabet  at  the 
point  of  the  master's  penknife.  .  .  .  Half 
the  session  being  thus  ended,  the  whole  pro- 
cess (after  'going  out')  was  reversed.  The 
youngest  child  was  called  up  again  'to  say 
his  letters,' — a  term  which  fitly  described  the 
performance.  Next  followed  an  exercise 
which  required  genius.  The  task  assigned 
was  to  make  syllables  by  repeating  in  sundry 


8  Barnas  Sears 

ways  the  first  two  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
although  there  was  no  more  connection  be- 
tween those  names  and  the  syllables  than 
there  was  between  them  and  the  moon.  It 
reminds  one  of  the  story  of  the  monk  who 
filed  his  teeth  in  order  to  speak  Hebrew.  The 
spelling  exercises,  ascending  from  class  to 
class  till  the  first  was  reached,  filled  out  the 
remainder  of  the  half-day.  .  .  .  The  spelling 
and  the  writing  of  the  older  classes  were,  per- 
haps, the  least  objectionable  of  all  the  school 
exercises.'*  It  was  in  such  a  school,  accord- 
ing to  his  own  testimony,  that  Barnas  Sears 
was  a  pupil  about  ten  years — at  least  a  part 
of  the  time ;  at  first,  perhaps,  in  the  summer 
months  and,  later,  presumably  in  the  winter, 
beginning  at  the  age  of  five  and  ending  at  the 
age  of  fifteen. 

During  these  years  he  acquired  a  taste  for 
books,  and  his  reading  may  have  encroached 
sometimes  on  the  hours  of  labor,  to  the 
annoyance  of  his  bachelor  uncle,  if  not  to  the 
grief  of  his  more  appreciative  mother.  And 
so  when  the  ardent  youth,  at  the  age  of  fif- 


A  Christian  Educator  9 

teen,  asked  for  the  gift  of  his  time,  for  the 
purpose  of  working  his  own  way  through  col- 
lege, this  uncle  remarked  ''that  his  father 
might  as  well  let  the  boy  go,  as  he  was  nothing 
but  a  book-boy,  anyhow,  and  never  seemed 
to  care  for  work/' 

Events,  however,  proved  that  he  did  care 
for  work  when  it  was  a  step  towards  a  liberal 
education.  For  he  presently  made  a  contract 
with  a  neighbor  to  build  for  him  a  handsome 
stone  wall,  and  not  only  fulfilled  his  contract 
by  hiring  another  man  to  assist  him  with  his 
team,  but  gained  such  a  reputation  for  this 
kind  of  work  as  to  be  in  constant  demand. 

Whatever  he  did,  he  did  well,  for  a  high 
and  holy  motive  had  entered  into  his  life. 
Two  years  before  resolving  to  seek  for  him- 
self a  liberal  education,  he  had  accepted 
Jesus  Christ  as  his  Lord,  and  had  at  once 
taken  his  place  with  the  band  of  workers  for 
the  cause  he  loved.  When  he  spoke  in  social 
meetings  there  was  always  silence,  and  inter- 
est in  what  he  said.  His  pastor  and  his 
mother  divined  his  calling,  and  encouraged 


lo  Barnas  Sears 

his  longing  to  prepare  for  the  highest  Chris- 
tian service. 

So  with  his  father's  consent,  he  tmdertook 
the  long  task  of  personal  training  at  his  own 
charges.  ' '  He  wrought  hard  during  the  sum- 
mer," and  the  following  winter,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  we  find  him  teaching  school,  begin- 
ning thus  early  and  bravely  what  proved  to 
be  the  principal  vocation  of  his  life.  His 
first  teacher  in  the  classics  was  the  Rev. 
Timothy  M.  Cooley  of  Granville,  a  neighbor- 
ing town  in  Massachusetts,  who  was  some- 
what famous  in  his  day  for  success  in  fitting 
boys  for  college.  But  before  entering  Brown 
young  Barnas  repaired  to  the  University 
school  and  put  himself  under  the  tuition  of 
Jesse  Hartwell,  its  accomplished  principal. 

At  a  later  period  he  thus  characterizes  this 
class  of  schools  as  they  were  then  conducted : 

*'  In  the  academies  the  teachers,  as  a  class, 
were  well-educated  men.  The  schools  were 
sometimes  for  both  sexes,  and  consequently 
had  classes  in  English  studies ;  but  when  they 
served  as  preparatory  schools  only,  little  was 


A  Christian  Educator  1 1 

taught  in  them  but  the  elements  of  Latin  and 
Greek,  and  even  these  were  rather  studied  in 
books  than  taught  by  the  preceptor.  The 
education,  therefore,  which  boys  fitting  for 
college  received,  was  mainly  through  a  vigor- 
ous exercise  of  the  memory  in  learning  the 
words  of  an  ancient  language.  A  weekly 
composition  on  some  of  the  virtues  or  vices, 
and  a  declamation  every  Wednesday  from 
some  great  orator,  such  as  Chatham  or  Pat- 
rick Henry,  were  the  only  variations  from 
the  Latin  and  Greek  exercises."  In  such 
schools  Bamas  Sears  fitted  for  college. 

A  severe  fever  prevented  him  from  joining 
his  class  at  the  opening  of  the  Freshman  year 
in  the  autumn  of  182 1 ,  but  he  joined  it  in  the 
spring  of  1822,  and  was  graduated  in  1825, 
his  part  at  the  Commencement  being  the 
philosophical  oration,  and  his  theme,  '*The 
Influence  of  Association  upon  the  Intellec- 
tual Character.'* 

Of  his  course  as  a  college  student  but  little 
is  known.  Yet  from  a  statement  of  later 
years  it  is  certain  that  he  made  no  persistent 


12  Barnas  Sears 

effort  to  stand  at  the  head  of  his  class  in 
recitation,  but  preferred  a  broader  scholar- 
ship, without  *'  cramming."  In  weighing  the 
significance  of  this  statement  it  would  be 
well  to  bear  in  mind,  first,  that  the  regular 
circle  of  college  studies  was  at  that  time 
(1821-25)  much  smaller  than  at  present. 
Few,  if  any,  elective  courses  were  offered  to 
students  who  were  ambitious  to  enlarge  the 
circuit  of  their  knowledge  beyond  the  pre- 
scribed limits  of  instruction  for  all. 

Speaking  of  the  colleges  of  that  day,  Doctor 
Sears  remarks  that  '*The  funds  of  the  colleges, 
and  consequently  the  salaries  of  the  officers, 
were  low.  My  old  president  (Dr.  Asa  Mes- 
ser)  received  twelve  hundred  dollars.  I  re- 
member this  from  the  fact  that  once,  when 
he  was  asked  why  he  did  not  resign,  he  said 
he  *had  twelve  hundred  reasons  for  not 
resigning.'  The  professors  lived  on  eight 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  if  they  had  good 
positions,  or  five  hundred  dollars  if  they  had 
not.  In  earlier  times  each  college  had  a 
president,  two  or  three  professors,  one  of 


A  Christian  Educator  13 

whom  taught  the  theology  of  his  church 
(never  in  Brown  University,  however!),  and 
two  tutors.  .  .  .  The  student  first  fell 
into  the  hands  of  a  tutor,  stiff  and  very  pre- 
cise about  preserving  his  somewhat  doubtful 
dignity.  He  had  a  room  in  college,  and 
acted  as  a  spy  and  officer  of  police.  His  ex- 
periences were  often  very  romantic.  .  .  . 
Our  professors  were  more  portly  men,  going 
on  to  sixty.  Sitting  cross-legged  in  an  arm- 
chair, against  which  a  silver-headed  cane 
leaned,  they  would  insist  on  your  giving 
them  the  exact  words  of  Blair  (false  English 
and  all),  or  of  Kames,  and  of  Stewart  and 
Hedge.  Our  president,  who  heard  us  in 
Enfield's  philosophy,  was  more  communica- 
tive and  even  facetious.  ...  In  lan- 
guages, beyond  making  Latin,  after  Clarke's 
Introduction,  there  was  nothing,  if  we  except 
scanning,  but  translating  and  parsing;  no 
true  philology,  nothing  of  the  necessary  mean- 
ing of  words  from  derivation  and  usage,  or  of 
the  force  of  grammatical  forms  and  construc- 
tion.    Everything  depended  on  translation, 


14  Barnas  Sears 

generally  guessed  out,  often  stolen.'*  Yet 
he  adds  that  ''Many  young  men,  while 
they  yielded  passively  to  college  customs, 
had  high  aims  and  fixed  purposes.  They 
were  faithful  in  their  studies,  and  made  the 
most  of  their  opportunities ;  and,  more  than 
all,  though  boys,  they  were  to  become  men ;  all 
had  taken  the  true  measure  of  themselves; 
had  formed  warm  and  lasting  friendships; 
had  at  least  surveyed  the  field  of  knowledge, 
and  knew  what  to  do  in  after  life;  had,  in 
some  way,  been  so  long  within  the  college 
walls  as  to  take  on  an  air  of  liberal  culture; 
had,  in  some  measure,  acquired  a  literary 
taste.  When  the  time  for  manly  action 
arrived,  slumbering  capacities  were  not  un- 
frequently  aroused  which  placed  their  posses- 
sors in  the  first  rank  of  society.  Exactly  the 
same  requirements  were  made  of  all  students. 
So  much  of  mathematics,  so  much  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  must  be  swallowed  by  every  one, 
whether  his  digestive  organs  were  adequate 
or  not  for  their  work.'* 

It  should  be  remembered,  secondly,  that 


A  Christian  Educator  15 

Barnas  Sears  was  already  a  close  reader  of 
books,  gathering  rich  harvests  of  truth  from 
the  wide  fields  of  literature.  There  was  no 
sluggish  vein  in  his  nature.  Whatever  he 
did,  he  did  with  all  the  force  of  high  aspira- 
tion and  purpose.  From  his  excursions  into 
the  realms  of  history,  philosophy,  moral  sci- 
ence, and  Christian  literature,  he  must  have 
returned  with  treasures  of  learning.  It  is  not 
known  that  he  ever  expressed  regret  for  the 
method  of  work  which  he  pursued  in  college, 
or  that  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  instruc- 
tion which  he  received.  But  it  is  understood 
that  he  sometimes  found  it  no  easy  task  to 
obtain  the  funds  needed  for  his  support  in 
study.  At  one  time  he  went  to  Boston  for 
help,  and,  being  too  poor  to  pay  his  fare  by 
stage-coach,  he  walked  all  the  way  thither, 
a  distance  of  forty-one  miles,  and  after  ob- 
taining the  sum  required,  returned  to  Provi- 
dence in  the  same  manner  —  a  bracing 
** constitutional"  for  the  tall  (six  feet  and 
two  inches),  graceful,  and  energetic  young 
man  who  was  moving  with  a  resolute  step 


1 6  Barnas  Sears 

into  the  future!  Such  exercise,  if  less  at- 
tractive than  lawn  tennis  or  foot-ball,  was 
no  less  convincing  proof  of  genuine  nobility 
of  character.  He  was  a  common  school 
teacher  '*  six  winters,''  and  some  of  these  must 
have  fallen  to  his  years  in  college.  But  no 
reference  to  his  wages  as  a  school-master  has 
been  discovered.  It  probably  varied  with 
the  size  of  the  school  and  the  place  of  its 
location.  How  long  he  persisted  in  laying 
fine  stone-wall  during  the  summer  vacations, 
for  needed  funds,  is  not  known  to  the  writer. 
No  definite  record  of  his  religious  life  in 
college  has  been  preserved.  He  kept  no 
diary  of  his  progress  in  knowledge  or  of  his 
growth  in  grace.  If  he  had,  as  may  be 
assumed,  periods  of  self-distrust  as  well  as 
periods  of  confidence  and  hope,  he  suffered 
them  to  pass  without  complaint  or  exulta- 
tion. Yet  he  appears  to  have  availed  him- 
self of  opportunities  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
those  who  were  ready  to  hear  ifc;  and  then, 
as  ever  afterwards,  he  did  his  work  in  the 
pulpit  without  the  help  or  hindrance  of  a 


A  Christian  Educator  17 

manuscript.  He  preferred  to  look  hearers  in 
the  face,  all  the  more,  perhaps,  because  his 
handwriting  was  not  large  enough  to  be 
easily  read  at  a  distance.  Moreover,  he  was 
keenly  alive  to  his  connection  with  the  people 
before  him  and  stimulated  by  their  uncon- 
cealed interest  in  what  he  was  saying.  For 
he  rarely  failed  to  win  their  earnest  attention. 
All  eyes  in  the  assembly  were  sure  to  be  fixed 
on  the  tall  and  animated  speaker.  And 
from  his  method  and  success  in  preaching 
during  his  undergraduate  course,  it  may  be 
safely  inferred  that  his  spiritual  life  was  not 
sluggish  for  any  length  of  time,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  was  vigorous  and  hopeful.  What- 
ever he  did,  he  did  with  his  whole  mind  and 
soul,  and,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  his 
purpose  to  serve  Christ  in  the  ministry  never 
wavered. 

From  college  to  seminary  Barnas  Sears 
passed  after  the  interval  of  a  summer  vaca- 
tion, and  he  certainly  found  the  circle  of 
studies  in  a  theological  course  even  more 
absorbing  than   that   of  the   college.     His 


1 8  Barnas  Sears 

teachers  were  Doctors  Irah  Chase  and  Henry 
J.  Ripley,  both  of  them  accurate  instructors 
and  reverent  scholars.  There  were  few 
text-books,  and  the  library  of  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  then  at  the  very 
beginning  of  its  history,  was  meagre  and 
unattractive ;  but  the  ideals  of  its  founders 
were  high,  as  were  also  the  hopes  of  the 
young  men  who  came  there  in  quest  of  re- 
ligious truth.  The  elements  of  Hebrew  were 
dictated  at  first  to  the  students  by  Doctor 
Chase,  and  the  neatly  written  pages  of  *'B. 
Sears' s"  note-book  prove  that  he  made  good 
use  of  accurate  instruction  in  that  vener- 
able language.  The  chair  of  New  Testament 
interpretation  was  soon  filled  by  Doctor 
Ripley,  a  pupil  of  Moses  Stuart,  and  his 
peer  in  exact  knowledge  and  sound  judg- 
ment. Besides  the  ''regular  course,"  there 
were  some  opportunities  for  special  re- 
search, and  books  enough  within  reach  to 
make  it  possible.  Beyond  any  doubt,  there- 
fore, the  days  of  the  seminary  life  of  Mr. 
Sears  were  busy  and  delightful.     The  beauti- 


A  Christian  Educator  19 

ful  scenery  of  the  place  must  have  filled  his 
soul  with  cheer,  and  his  rambling  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  valleys  must  have 
given  vigor  to  his  erect  and  manly  form. 
It  is  impossible  to  imagine  him  unmoved  by 
the  aspects  of  nature  which  were  spread  be- 
fore him  morning  and  evening.  God  was  in 
his  own  world,  and  the  alert  and  wide- 
visioned  student  was  daily  taking  lessons 
from  that  world.  But  his  correspondence  at 
the  time  has  not  been  preserved,  and  we  are 
therefore  indebted  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
man,  and  to  his  manner  of  referring  to  college 
and  seminary  days,  for  our  assurance  of  his 
enthusiasm  in  the  work  and  the  recreation 
which  they  brought  him. 

There  is  good  reason  to  suppose  that  Bar- 
nas  Sears  found  pleasure  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  course  at  Newton  in  calling  rather 
frequently  upon  a  most  worthy  family  in 
Brookline.  The  distance  was  less  than  five 
miles,  by  rural  ways,  from  the  top  of  Institu- 
tion Hill  to  the  house  of  Deacon  Elijah  Corey, 
near  the  western  base  of  Corey  Hill,  and  an 


20  Barnas  Sears 

active  and  purposeful  student  would  have 
scarcely  counted  his  steps  in  making  it.  The 
goal  must  have  seemed  near  enough,  and  the 
prize  fair  enough,  to  call  for  a  frequent  walk 
in  that  direction.  For  the  prize  was  nothing 
less  than  one  who  became  his  companion  for 
life  two  or  three  years  later  (July  6,  1830). 
More  invigorating  out-door  exercise  could  not 
have  been  desired;  unless,  indeed,  he  were 
able  to  climb,  now  and  then,  in  a  star-lit 
evening  to  the  summit  of  Corey  Hill,  in  the 
best  of  company,  there  to  rest  awhile  and 
**view  the  landscape  o*er  *' — a  truly  mag- 
nificent panorama — before  returning  to  the 
hospitable  mansion  below.  It  may  be  inno- 
cently fancied  that  Barnas  Sears  and  one  or 
more  of  the  Corey  girls  sometimes  did  this, 
to  their  mutual  satisfaction.  It  is,  however, 
impossible  to  say  how  intimate  their  ac- 
quaintance became  during  his  Newton  days, 
for  Elizabeth  G.  Corey  attended  Miss  Caro- 
line Beecher's  Young  Ladies'  School  in  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  during  the  two  years  after 
Mr.  Sears  left  Newton  to  become  pastor  of 


A  Christian  Educator  21 

the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Hartford.  The 
school  was  a  famous  one,  and  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  the  young  lady  here  continued 
her  acquaintance  with  her  Newton  friend, 
enjoying  his  attentions  as  well  as  his 
ministry. 


CHAPTER  II 

AT   HARTFORD   AND   AT   HAMILTON 
1828-1833 

During  the  last  year  of  his  course  in  New- 
ton, Barnas  Sears  accepted  a  call  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  an  incidental  proof  of  his 
persistence  in  the  habit  of  preaching  by  way 
of  supply  to  churches  that  needed  his  ser- 
vices. He  was  ordained  in  the  year  1828, 
and  engaged  with  all  his  heart  in  ministerial 
duties.  Tall,  erect,  with  a  noble  bearing  and 
uncommon  personal  attractiveness,  he  easily 
gained  the  hearts  of  his  people.  His  success, 
both  as  a  preacher  and  as  a  pastor,  was 
marked,  and  it  seemed  for  a  brief  period  that 
his  vocation  for  life  would  be  in  the  pulpit. 
More  than  forty  years  afterwards  he  '*was 
affectionately  remembered  by  the  few  sur- 


A  Christian  Educator  23 

vivors  of  his  flock"  (Stearns).  But  before 
the  end  of  his  second  year  in  Hartford  he 
began  to  suffer  severely  with  a  bronchial 
weakness  which  troubled  him  frequently 
during  the  rest  of  his  life.  For  this  reason 
he  was  willing  to  accept  the  professorship  of 
ancient  languages  in  the  ''  Hamilton  Literary 
and  Theological  Institution"  in  1829. 

Professor  Sears  was  a  lover  of  the  classics, 
and  his  brief  career  in  Hamilton  as  a  teacher 
of  the  ancient  languages  was  nothing  less  than 
brilliant.  The  school  was  young,  but  more 
distinguished  for  its  religious  character  and 
evangelical  theology  than  for  a  high  standard 
of  literary  attainment.  Barnas  Sears  be- 
came the  rising  star  of  the  faculty  and  the 
pride  of  the  students.  In  his  address  at  the 
Jubilee  Anniversary  at  Madison  University 
(now  Colgate),  Doctor  Eaton  said :  '*  No  man 
ever  connected  with  the  faculty  was  more 
admired  and  loved;  and  on  no  one  were 
higher  hopes  reposed  than  upon  Professor 
Sears.  He  was  the  pride  and  glory  of  the 
institution   in   its   intellectual   and   literary 


24  Barnas  Sears 

character,  to  which  his  short  connection  had 
powerfully  contributed.''  It  appears  that  he 
also  served  the  church  in  Hamilton  as  pastor 
during  a  part,  at  least,  of  this  triennium. 

But  he  was  presently  convinced  that  the 
course  of  theological  study  and  instruction, 
which  was  the  raison  d'etre  for  the  existence 
of  the  school,  ought  to  be  extended  and  im- 
proved; others  agreed  with  him  on  the 
point,  and  in  order  to  accomplish  this  end 
he  was  transferred  from  the  chair  of  ancient 
languages  to  a  new  chair  of  biblical  theology. 
But  as  there  was  no  class  prepared  to  enter 
at  once  on  the  new  study,  and  as  he  himself 
felt  the  need  of  further  preparation  for  the 
great  chair  to  which  he  had  been  assigned,  it 
was  deemed  necessary  for  him  to  visit  Ger- 
many, and  learn  the  methods  of  work  in  that 
land  of  scholars  and  libraries.  Doubtless  the 
impulse  to  visit  Germany  was  due  to  his  own 
mind,  rather  than  to  that  of  any  other  per- 
son. For  already  the  faculties  of  theology 
in  German  universities  had  earned  the  dis- 
tinction of  remarkable  freedom  in  religious 


A  Christian  Educator  25 

speculation  as  well  as  in  biblical  criticism, 
and  it  required  more  decision  of  purpose  than 
it  does  now  for  a  young  professor,  who  ex- 
pected to  be  a  teacher  of  biblical  theology,  to 
put  himself  in  contact  with  the  German  free- 
thinkers or  rationalists,  as  they  were  called. 
But  Professor  Sears  who  was  a  man  of  deep 
religious  convictions  and  quick  intellect,  re- 
solved to  profit  by  the  stimulating  inquiries 
pushed  to  their  furthest  limit  by  educators  in 
Halle,  Leipsic,  Berlin,  and  Paris. 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   GERMANY   AND   FRANCE 
(1833-1835) 

Accordingly,  leaving  his  wife  and  child 
with  her  parents  in  Brookline,  Mass.  (for  he 
had  been  married  in  1830  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
G.  Corey  of  that  town),  he  embarked  at  New 
York  on  the  12th  of  July,  1833,  for  Ham- 
burg, where  he  landed  on  the  24th  of  August 
and  found  ''  several  pious  friends  having  Bap- 
tist sentiments,"  who  wished  to  be  immersed 
and  organized  into  a  Baptist  church.  Among 
these  was  J.  G.  Oncken,  who  was  to  become 
so  well  known  as  the  bold  and  sagacious 
leader  of  his  brethren  in  Northern  Europe, 
though  suffering  for  a  time  many  things  for 
the  Lord's  sake.  The  steadfast  disciples 
were  advised  by  Professor  Sears  to  defer 
their  public  confession  of  faith  until  he  had 
26 


A  Christian  EducatoE=^iy^>^7 

become  better  acquainted  with  the  whole 
situation. 

The  following  citations  from  letters  to  Mrs. 
Sears  will  bring  the  course  of  events  more 
distinctly  before  the  reader: 

"Hamburg,  August  24,  1833. 
**I  have  written  that  the  passage  to  the 
Azores  was  pleasant  and  occupied  fourteen 
days.  We  passed  through  the  English  Chan- 
nel in  less  than  two  days,  and  from  the 
Straits  of  Dover  to  the  Texel  we  sailed  in 
twenty-four  hours.  Here  a  storm  com- 
menced which  drove  us  most  furiously  all  the 
way  to  Cuxhaven,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 
The  North  Sea  is  dreaded  by  all  the  sons  of 
the  ocean,  as  it  is  full  of  shoals  and  quick- 
sands all  along  the  eastern  coast,  with  only 
very  narrow  passages  at  the  mouth  of  the 
rivers,  especially  at  the  Weser  and  Elbe. 
We  had  no  pilot  and  our  sailors  felt  great 
alarm.  /  felt  as  I  had  never  felt  before. 
When  the  storm  became  overpowering  about 
9  o'clock  in  the  evening,  knowing  that  I  was 


28  Barnas  Sears 

too  much  exhausted  to  struggle  with  the 
waves,  should  it  at  length  become  necessary, 
I  arranged  my  things  so  as  to  have  the  most 
valuable  at  hand,  spent  some  time  in  calm 
but  painful  reflection,  solemnly  committed 
myself  to  God,  my  only  Helper,  and,  incred- 
ible as  it  may  seem,  lay  down  in  my  clothes 
and  slept,  not  knowing  but  that  I  should 
awake  in  a  foundered  ship !  Oh,  how  cheer- 
ing was  the  morning  light!  But  the  storm 
still  was  raging,  hurling  us  swiftly  between 
rocks  and  sand-banks,  and  the  whole  day 
was  spent  in  fear.  At  sunset  the  gale 
brought  us  into  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe,  the 
yellow,  sandy-looking  Elbe,  and  we  soon  set 
foot  on  the  green  turf  of  Ciixhaven,  which  at 
that  moment  we  would  not  have  exchanged 
for  so  much  gold/* 

"August  27,  1833. 
**  After  leaving  Cuxhaven  we  ascended  the 
Elbe  for  three  miles  before  discovering  its 
northern  bank.     From  that  point  to  Ham- 
burg, a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  the  river 


A  Christian  Educator  29 

averages  two  miles  in  width.  ...  I  find 
several  pious  friends  here,  and  eight  or  ten 
persons  having  Baptist  sentiments.  These 
request  me  to  baptize  them.  But  I  have 
decided  to  wait,  hoping  we  may  organize  a 
church  and  ordain  a  minister.  I  expect  to 
remain  here  until  September  3d,  and  then, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Oncken,  go  to  Berlin, 
whence  I  hope  to  go  direct  to  Halle.'* 

**  Halle,  April  8,  1834. 
**Mr.  Oncken's  letter  contained  a  request 
for  me  to  come  to  Hamburg  (three  hundred 
miles)  and  baptize  himself  and  several  others, 
and  to  form  a  church.  As  the  summer  term 
at  Leipsic  commences  the  5th  of  May,  I  could 
not  well  go  after  that  time ;  I  have  therefore 
concluded  to  go  the  last  of  the  present  week. 
.  .  .  From  your  request  concerning  some- 
one to  write  to  you  in  case  anything  should 
befall  me,  I  perceive  that  you  think  me  a 
greater  stranger  here  than  I  really  am.  It 
would  be  impossible  for  you  not  to  hear.  I 
can  hardly  count  the  number  who  would  do 


30  Barnas  Sears 

everything  as  for  a  brother.  'As  strangers, 
and  yet  well  known'  (Paul),  ...  I  go 
to  Halle  next  Friday,  and  there  join  Mr. 
Haverstick,  who  is  going  on  my  way  as  far 
as  Helmstadt.  I  shall  then  pass  to  Bruns- 
wick and  Hanover,  and  thence  to  Hamburg, 
and  shall  probably  return  by  a  still  more 
southern  route,  so  as  to  visit  new  places 
every  time.  .  .  .  If  you  wish  to  know  how 
I  spend  the  vacation,  it  is  thus :  I  am  review- 
ing the  Hebrew  I  read  in  Halle.  I  have  a 
little  book,  in  which  I  write  down  every  word 
that  I  have  to  look  out  in  the  dictionary,  and 
these  words  I  commit  to  memory.  This 
little  book  will  be  my  pocket  companion  to 
Hamburg.  I  am  now  also  directing  my  at- 
tention to  Latin.  Before  the  summer  closes 
I  intend  to  speak  it  fluently.  It  is  certainly 
a  shame  for  a  scholar  to  be  dependent  upon 
a  Latin  dictionary!  I  expect  to  have  occa- 
sion to  read  much  Latin ;  it  begins  to  seem  a 
little  like  a  native  language.*' 

At  about  midnight  of  the  2 2d  of  April 
seven  persons  were  baptized  by  Professor 


A  Christian  Educator  31 

Sears  in  the  river  Elbe,  a  few  miles  from  the 
city,  and,  according  to  the  following  certifi- 
cate in  the  hand  writing  of  Barnas  Sears, 
Mr.  J.  G.  Oncken  was  ordained  by  him  the 
next  day  to  the  Gospel  ministry. 

**  Hamburg,  April  23, 1834. 
''Dear  Brother  Oncken: 

"  This  is  to  testify  to  all  whom  it  may  con- 
cern, that,  at  the  request  of  the  Baptist  church 
in  this  place,  after  being  fully  satisfied  of  your 
personal  piety,  of  the  correctness  of  your  views 
of  Christian  doctrine,  of  your  possessing  those 
ministerial  qualifications  specified  in  Scrip- 
ture, &  of  your  being  called  both  by  the  Spirit 
and  Providence  of  God  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry, I  have  by  prayer  and  the  imposition  of 
hands  solemnly  set  you  apart  to  that  respon- 
sible office;  and  in  the  name  of  the  church  in 
which  I  hold  an  official  standing  as  a  regular 
ordained  minister,  pronounce  you  scripturally 
invested  with  all  the  powers  which  belong  to  a 
pastor  of  the  flock  of  Christ  and  to  a  minister  of 
the  gospel.     May  the  Lord  grant  that  you  may 


32  Barnas  Sears 

have  a  higher  testimony  than  man  can  givey 
that  you  may  be  recognized  by  him  as  a  good 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  may  it  be  your 
exalted  privilege  to  win,  through  grace,  many 
souls  to  his  love;  and  to  build  up,  in  true 
knowledge,  faith,  and  every  Christian  virtue^ 
the  church,  redeemed  by  his  precious  blood, 
I  hereby  also  commend  you  to  the  confidence  of 
the  Christian  public,  as  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  to  the  affectionate  regards  of  all  who 
love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

**  Barnas  Sears, 

**  Professor  of  Biblical  Theology  in  the  Hamilton  Literary 
and  Theological  Seminary,  and  formerly  Pastor  of 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Hamilton ^  N.  F,,  in  North 
America.'* 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1834,  he  wrote  as 
follows  to  his  wife:  ''My  heart  burns  to  tell 
you  without  delay  of  what  has  happened  here 
to-day.  Everything  has  gone  on  with  me 
much  according  to  expectation,  only  more 
favorably.  I  have  baptized  seven  persons, 
have  constituted  a  church,  and  have  ordained 
Mr.  Oncken  as  pastor.  Several  more  are 
asking  for  baptism,  but  we  think  it  prudent 


A  Christian  Educator  33 

to  defer  it  a  little.  .  .  .  To-day  our  little 
flock  have  partaken  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to- 
gether! The  scene  was  one  of  surpassing 
interest !  They  seemed  to  be  overcome  with 
feeling,  and  everyone  was  in  tears.  Dear 
friends!  I  never  expect  again  to  sit  with 
them  on  such  an  occasion  till  we  meet  in  an- 
other world.  There  is  a  prospect  that  the 
Government  will  not  disturb  them.'* 

In  that  hope  he  was  too  sanguine ;  yet  the 
little  group,  in  spite  of  much  opposition  for  a 
time,  has  become  more  than  a  hundred  thou- 
sand, including  a  large  number  as  offshoots 
from  the  German  mission.  In  this  whole 
transaction  we  have  a  fine  illustration  of  the 
mingled  discretion  and  courage  which  marked 
the  conduct  of  Professor  Sears  through  life. 
He  was  neither  rash  on  the  one  hand  nor 
timid  on  the  other.  He  met  emergencies 
manfully,  but  did  not  seek  them.  He  was 
prepared  to  stand  fast  in  the  face  of  opposi- 
tion, but  he  avoided  provoking  it. 

Although  much  absorbed  by  his  duties  in 
Germany,  Professor  Sears  often  refers  with 


34  Barnas  Sears 

deep  interest  to  the  members  of  his  family. 
Thus,  in  a  letter  dated  May  26,  1834,  he  says: 
''  I  think  no  person  ever  had  such  a  mother. 
When  I  think  of  her  virtues  and  of  all  she  has 
done  for  me,  my  feelings  are  beyond  expres- 
sion. .  .  .  My  friends  are  all  too  good 
for  me.  It  is  such  a  relief  to  be  able  to 
think  of  wife  and  child  as  well  and  happy.'' 
In  another  letter  to  his  wife,  dated  August 
10,  1834,  he  thus  refers  to  members  of  the 
family,  and  it  is  a  sample  of  many  similar 
passages:  ''When  you  write  your  sister,  re- 
member me  particularly  to  Brother  Pratt 
(who  had  married  his  wife's  sister)  and  tell 
them  that  it  rejoices  my  heart  that  even  in 
Europe  I  hear  of  his  fame.  I  would  write 
to  him  if  I  thought  a  letter  would  ever  reach 
him  and  an  answer  reach  me  here.  I  have  a 
great  fondness  for  him.  I  suppose  Mother 
Corey  has,  by  this  time,  experienced  the  bit- 
terness of  parting  with  dear  Sarah  and  Mr. 
Comstock.  May  your  sister  go  attended 
with  peace  and  prosperity!  It  is  a  noble 
sacrifice.** 


A  Christian  Educator  35 

Of  his  residence  in  Germany  but  a  brief 
account  can  be  given.  He  entered  upon  his 
studies  in  Halle  with  high  hopes  and  great 
ardor.  He  was  there  several  months  and 
formed  a  life-long  friendship  with  Tholuck 
and  Gesenius.  The  former  was  admired  by 
him  as  a  powerful  preacher  of  evangelical 
truth,  and,  at  the  same  time,  as  a  versatile 
scholar  and  attractive  teacher.  Gesenius,  it 
is  said,  advised  him  to  read  Arabic  after  read- 
ing Syriac;  Tholuck  advised  Rabbinical 
Hebrew.  He  followed  the  advice  of  both, 
being  ready  to  undertake  anything  that 
promised  to  be  useful  to  him  in  his  chosen 
work.  '  *  I  am  transported  into  a  new  world,  * ' 
he  writes,  ''and  in  study  have  commenced  a 
new  life.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  seven  or 
eight  years  slowly  waking  up  out  of  sleep,  and 
am  just  beginning  to  be  wide  awake.  If  I 
succeed,  as  I  now  hope,  I  shall  bring  home  a 
cart-load  of  notes  and  have  matter  enough 
to  digest  all  the  remainder  of  my  life.'' 

Every  reader  of  this  memorial  will  be 
pleased  to  see  parts  of  a  letter  written  by 


36  Barnas  Sears 

Professor  Sears  from  Halle.  In  the  first 
part  of  this  letter  he  refers  to  Doctor  Tholuck 
in  the  following  terms:  **The  University  of 
Halle  has  no  place  of  worship  attached  to  it ; 
it  has,  however,  a  morning  service  once  in 
the  week  in  one  of  the  principal  churches  of 
the  city.  The  preacher  appointed  by  the 
King  of  Prussia  was  Professor  Marks;  but, 
when  Doctor  Tholuck  came  to  Halle  and  was 
appointed  associate  preacher,  he  drew  so 
much  larger  audiences  than  Professor  Marks 
that  the  latter  resigned.  Standing  almost 
alone  in  his  evangelical  sentiments,  Tholuck 
attracts  throngs  of  rationalists  to  hear  his 
melting  appeals  in  behalf  of  '  a  religion  pure 
and  undefiled.'  The  first  discourse  that  I 
heard  from  him  was  upon  Luther's  birthday. 
He  preached  like  a  reformer,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  the  congregation  were  ashamed  of  hav- 
ing departed  so  egregiously  from  the  stand- 
ards of  the  faith.  The  next  time  that  he 
preached  happened  to  be  on  the  Lutheran 
festival  in  memory  of  the  dead ;  and,  though 
he  is  no  admirer  of  papal  rites,  he  did  not 


A  Christian  Educator  37 

hesitate  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  give  sol- 
emn counsel  to  the  living.  The  hymn  se- 
lected for  the  occasion  was  the  Dies  Ires,  or 
'The  Last  Judgment/  by  Celano  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  It  is  a  masterly  production, 
and  must  live  as  long  as  Christianity  itself. 
It  was  impossible  to  refrain  from  tears  when, 
at  the  7th  stanza,  all  the  trumpets  ceased, 
and  the  choir,  accompanied  by  a  softened 
tone  of  the  organ,  sang  these  touching  lines: 

*  Quid  sum  miser  tunc  dicturus, 
Quem  patronum  rogaturus, 
Quum  vix  Justus  sit  securus  f  * 

Though  there  are  ten  different  German  ver- 
sions of  this  hymn,  none  of  them  reach  the 
beautiful  simplicity  of  the  original.  Both 
Goethe  and  Scott  have  introduced  parts  of 
it  into  their  poetical  works,  and  the  most 
distinguished  modern  compositors  have  set 
it  to  music/' 

In  the  same  letter  is  a  graphic  description 
of  the  opening  services  on  a  great  occasion  at 
the  University  church,  and  we  can  almost 


38  Barnas  Sears 

see  his  changing  countenance  as  he  sat  or 
stood  in  the  vast  assembly.  ''  The  assembly 
was  immense.  We  went  very  early  in  order 
to  obtain  a  seat,  and  found  hundreds  crowd- 
ing about  the  passages  before  the  doors  were 
opened.  At  the  door  we  obtained  the  printed 
sheet  containing  the  hymns  and  responses  of 
the  day.  The  service  commenced  with  sing- 
ing two  stanzas,  in  which  the  whole  congre- 
gation joined.  The  Germans,  it  is  known, 
are  a  musical  people.  The  cultivation  of  the 
voice  is  with  them  a  part  of  education ;  and 
when  in  church  the  old  and  young  all  pour 
out  their  song  together,  it  seems  to  touch  a 
chord  of  public  sympathy  and  to  operate 
somewhat  like  the  old  national  songs  of  the 
Swiss  mountaineers.  We  sat  silently  in 
front  of  the  pulpit,  and  when  the  congrega- 
tion paused  we  could  just  hear  at  the  altar 
at  our  extreme  left  the  accent  of  the  preacher 
uttering  the  Lord's  Prayer;  then,  suddenly, 
voices  of  melody  broke  upon  our  ear  from 
the  orchestra  of  the  gallery  in  the  opposite 
extreme  of  the  house.     The  preacher  and  the 


A  Christian  Educator  39 

choir  were  facing  each  other  and  responding, 
while  the  whole  congregation,  standing,  oc- 
cupied the  vast  space  between.  The  words 
are  generally  some  of  the  most  impressive 
and  poetical  parts  of  Scripture,  and  the  music 
of  a  select  character.  The  choir,  which  is 
trained  with  great  care,  consists  of  men  and 
small  boys. 

'*  And  I  must  confess  that  no  human  voice 
produces  upon  me  so  fine  an  effect  as  the 
cultivated  voice  of  a  boy.  It  is  not,  indeed, 
so  deep  and  rich  in  the  expression  of  human 
passion  as  that  of  a  man,  nor  has  it  the  vari- 
ous power  and  compass  of  a  female  voice. 
But  in  those  light  and  shrill  tones,  which  waft 
the  spirit  upward,  it  is  unique  and  unrivalled. 
As  artists  select  the  forms  of  boys  as  the 
best  ideal  of  angel  forms,  so  may  the  music 
of  their  voices  be  selected  as  the  best  ideal  of 
seraphic  music.  It  is  not  difficult  to  fancy 
that  such  sounds  were  heard  on  the  plains  of 
Bethlehem. 

''  During  the  responses  the  organ  was  silent. 
Then  followed  what  is  called  the  '  chief  song,* 


40  Barnas  Sears 

in  which  everything  that  could  utter  a  sound 
united.  In  these  shouts  of  the  multitude 
and  tumultuous  clangor  of  instruments, 
which  appear  like  an  attempt  to  carry  the 
heart  by  storm,  there  is,  in  my  opinion,  some- 
thing too  gross  and  physical  to  have  the  hap- 
piest effect.  The  chorister  acted  a  kind  of 
pantomime,  which  was  designed,  I  suppose, 
to  direct  the  choir,  but  which  made  him 
appear  like  a  harlequin.  Before  the  hymn 
was  concluded,  the  preacher  was  standing  in 
the  pulpit  in  true  German  style, — in  a  fixed 
posture,  with  his  hands  clasped  before  his 
breast  and  his  eyes  turned  upward, — and 
produced,  I  hope,  a  happier  impression  upon 
others  than  upon  the  writer.  After  a  few 
words  of  introduction,  the  text  was  an- 
nounced and  the  congregation  rose  when  it 
was  read.  Sometimes  the  introduction  of 
the  sermon  is  from  another  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  then  a  hymn  intervenes  between 
the  introduction  and  the  sermon.  Not  long 
after  the  commencement  of  the  discourse, 
the  little  velvet  bag,  fastened  to  the  end  of  a 


A  Christian  Educator  41 

rod  with  a  small  bell,  passes  through  the  con- 
gregation and  every  one  casts  in  his  mite. 
Why  the  time  of  sermon  should  be  chosen  for 
this  business  I  cannot  divine/' 

This,  surely,  is  a  very  graphic  picture  of 
what  preceded  the  sermon  itself.  Professor 
Sears  now  turns  to  the  latter,  and  especially 
to  the  preacher.  Doctor  Tholuck,  whose  work 
in  the  pulpit  he  greatly  admired.  ''Here 
ended  all  that  could  be  offensive  to  one's 
taste  or  piety ;  and  now  one  of  the  most  de- 
vout Christians  and  a  distinguished  scholar 
and  critic  came  forth  to  act  a  part  where  his 
great  strength  lies.  His  familiarity  with  the 
language  and  spirit  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
tament, with  the  works  of  genius  not  only  in 
the  literary  treasures  of  Greece  and  Rome 
and  in  the  languages  of  modern  Europe,  but 
also  in  the  wide  field  of  Oriental  literature, 
affords  him  rare  facilities  of  pouring  out  his 
glowing  thoughts  so  as  to  strike  every  capac- 
ity and  reach  every  human  passion.  The 
child-like  simplicity  of  his  character  and 
manner,  the  tenderness  of  his  affections,  and 


42  Barnas  Sears 

the  subduing  influence  of  religion  upon  his 
understanding  and  heart,  win  for  him  the 
confidence  of  his  hearers,  while  the  truth  of 
his  own  feelings  and  his  deep  philosophic 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart  enable  him  to 
speak  to  it  directly  and  powerfully  in  its 
agonies  and  in  its  joys,  in  its  repose  and  in 
its  tumults.  Like  a  part  of  nature  he  seems 
to  know  all  that  human  nature  has  felt  or 
can  feel,  and  hence  has  a  power  over  the  sym- 
pathy of  others  with  which  few  men  are 
gifted.  The  strength  of  maternal  affection, 
the  confiding  simplicity  of  childhood,  the  si- 
lent grief  of  the  widow,  the  loneliness  of  the 
orphan,  the  retrospect  of  old  age  .  .  . 
all  revive  at  his  touch  with  the  freshness  of 
original  feelings.  He  thrills  the  heart  with 
the  assaults  of  truth,  not  so  much  by  follow- 
ing men  in  their  business  and  pleasures  as  in 
stealing  upon  those  moments  of  reflection 
when  light  flashes  upon  the  conscience  and 
disturbs  the  dream  of  life.  The  man  of  the 
world  who  is  sometimes  visited  by  a  recollec- 
tion of  early  religious  impressions,  of  a  pious 


F.  A.  Q.  THOLUCK,  Ph.D. 


A  Christian  Educator  43 

father's  sacred  counsels  or  of  a  mother's 
tears ;  the  man  of  business  in  whose  path  the 
footsteps  of  providence  are  too  plain  to  be 
denied  or  doubted;  the  statesman  who  is 
often  driven  back  to  religion  as  the  only- 
conservative  principle  of  national  security; 
professional  men  of  every  name,  who,  in  all 
the  ultimate  truths  of  science,  find  a  mys- 
terious God;  and  the  student  who,  in  the 
strife  of  human  opinion,  finds  no  resting  place 
for  the  soul, — ^these  all  bow,  for  the  time 
being,  to  the  preacher's  power,  and  acknowl- 
edge that  he  knows  the  way  to  their  hearts ; 
not  unfrequently  saying,  'Almost  thou  per- 
suadest  me  to  be  a  Christian.'  As  might  be 
expected,  he  is  often  the  instrument  of  con- 
version, not  only  in  his  preaching,  but  also 
in  his  private  intercourse  and  in  his  exten- 
sive correspondence.  The  plain,  practical 
doctrines  of  Christianity  are  his  principal 
themes,  and  all  things  else  come  in  as  acci- 
dental aids.  He  is  neither  boisterous  nor 
artificially  nice,  but  calm  and  sincere." 
Not  less  graphic  is  Professor  Sears's  picture 


44  Barnas  Sears 

of  lecture-room  work  in  the  University. 
''The  University  of  Halle  has  no  splendid 
pile  of  buildings,  but  on  the  contrary,  the 
principal  lecture-rooms  are  in  different  parts 
of  the  city.  The  only  common  centre  is  near 
the  market,  where  all  the  public  notices  of 
the  University  are  put  up.  Each  faculty  has 
its  separate  place  of  advertisement.  As  one  ^ 
approaches  towards  the  entrance  he  sees  a 
frame  containing  a  case  over  which  is  written, 
'Ordo  Theologicus,'  beyond  it  another  with 
'Ordo  Philosophicus,*  including  philology, 
and  then  follow  the  faculties  of  law  and  medi- 
cine. Each  professor  puts  up  in  his  own 
handwriting,  commonly  in  Latin,  a  notice  of 
all  his  exercises.  The  interior  of  the  lecture- 
rooms  resembles  that  of  large  session  rooms. 
Every  seat  is  numbered  and  every  student 
has  his  particular  place.  When  the  hour  of 
lecture  arrives,  the  students  are  very  punc- 
tually in  their  assigned  places.  They  usually 
spend  fifteen  minutes  in  mending  their  pens, 
fixing  their  papers,  whistling  and  smoking 
before  the  lecturer  appears.     When  he  en- 


A  Christian  Educator  45 

ters,  a  simultaneous  hiss  is  heard  all  over  the 
room  and  all  is  instantly  still.  The  students 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  write  down  the 
lecture  as  it  is  delivered.  Some  of  the  pro- 
fessors add  much  to  the  interest  and  value  of 
their  lectures  by  giving  a  copious  exposition 
of  a  single  topic  extemporaneously,  and  then 
stating  the  substance  of  it  in  a  condensed 
form.  Thus  the  students  can  drop  their 
pens  and  give  their  whole  attention  to  the 
subject ;  and  by  the  fulness  of  extemporane- 
ous illustration  perfectly  understand  the 
views  of  the  lecturer,  while  he  can  select  with 
better  judgment,  and  abridge  with  more 
skill,  what  they  are  to  commit  to  writing. 
The  whole  process  of  dictation  appears,  at 
least  to  a  stranger,  not  a  little  ludicrous. 

*'  The  professors  exercise  no  government. 
The  number  of  one's  hearers,  and,  of  course, 
his  income,  depends  on  his  popularity  with 
the  students.  One  professor  last  summer 
read  a  full  course  of  lectures  to  two  students 
who  sat  each  side  of  him  on  a  sofa  in  his  own 
parlor.     The  students  hear  whom  they  please 


46  Barnas  Sears 

and  no  professor  can  be  independent  by  vir- 
tue of  his  office.  Nothing  but  his  talent,  or 
rather  his  tact,  secures  to  him  power  and 
influence.  The  only  real  check  upon  the 
student  is  that  his  final  examination  will  be 
rigid.  He  is  advised  and  taught  the  relative 
importance  of  different  branches  of  study  in 
the  lectures  on  Encyclopcedia,  The  lecturers, 
therefore,  must  use  much  art,  for  they  must 
have  a  hearing.  Some  are  amusing  and  dis- 
cursive and  stoop  to  gratify  a  depraved 
taste.  Some  flash  with  the  brilliancy  of 
their  wit.  Some  give  the  fruits  of  immense 
reading  on  subjects  not  very  closely  con- 
nected with  what  they  profess  to  teach. 
Others,  laying  their  account  with  the  good 
sense  of  the  students,  render  their  lectures  as 
nearly  as  possible  what  they  should  be. 
When  a  lecturer  is  dictating,  he  appears  like 
a  horse  accustomed  to  the  mill.  If  he  is  not 
heard,  or  if  he  dictates  too  fast,  the  signal  is 
given  by  a  hiss,  which  is  neither  given  nor 
received  as  a  token  of  disrespect,  but  as  a 
mere  conventional  sign  for  mutual  conven- 


A  Christian  Educator  47 

ience.  If  an  opinion  expressed  by  a  profes- 
sor is  offensive  to  the  students,  they  set  up 
a  murmuring  noise.  Though  Tholuck  now 
has  more  hearers  than  any  other  lecturer  in 
Halle,  I  have  often  heard  their  sullen  growls 
when  he  openly  dissented  from  Gesenius  or 
De  Wette ;  or  recommended  Hengstenberg's 
views,  or  Olshausen's.  But  if  there  is  a 
large  number  of  students  of  opposite  feelings, 
as  is  commonly  the  case,  they  hush  the  noise 
by  raising  a  respectful  hiss.  If  it  is  lamen- 
table to  see  such  theological  students,  it  is, 
on  the  other  hand,  pleasing  to  see  Tholuck 
gaining  the  ascendency  over  them.  What 
adds  to  the  strangeness  of  the  scene  is  to  see 
several  present  in  military  dress.  But  it 
should  be  remembered  that  Prussia  is  a  mili- 
tary kingdom,  and  that  most  of  the  students 
do  military  duty  one  year  while  at  the  Uni- 
versity.'' 

In  a  postscript  to  this  letter,  not,  of  course, 
intended  for  publication,  the  writer  says  that 
*'the  political  state  of  Germany  is  dreadful. 
Revolutionists  must  fight,  I  believe,  before 


48  Barnas  Sears 

this  part  of  Europe  can  be  quiet.  .  .  .  Labor 
here  is  but  Uttle  higher  by  the  year  than  with 
us  by  the  month.  Men  Uve  on  air.  Many 
of  the  professors  are  as  poor  as  snakes.  .  .  . 
During  the  winter  I  am  obHged  to  send  all 
my  letters  to  Havre.  The  postage  to  that 
place  costs  at  least  fifty  cents.  When  the 
spring  opens  I  can  send  much  cheaper  by 
Hamburg.  .  .  .  May  I  have  your  prayers 
that  I  be  not  the  worse  but  the  better,  for 
having  come  to  Germany  .f^  Yours  in  Chris- 
tian love, 

**  Barnas  Sears. 
*'Halle,  Jan.   i8,  1834.'' 

From  Halle,  after  his  visit  to  Hamburg 
and  the  baptism  of  Oncken,  Professor  Sears 
went  to  Leipsic  and  came  into  pleasant  rela- 
tions with  Winer,  Rosenmliller,  Hermann, 
and  other  professors  of  the  University.  His 
love  of  classical  studies  was  rekindled  at  this 
place,  and  he  wrote:  *'I  am  drinking  at  the 
fountain  of  Greek  and  Roman  literature,  and 
could  easily  make  this  the  pursuit  of  my  life.** 
He  was   attracted,    if   not   fascinated,    by 


A  Christian  Educator  49 

the  German  method  of  teaching  Latin,  and 
especially  by  the  practice  of  lecturing  and 
conversing  in  Latin.  His  own  facility  in  ac- 
quiring the  power  to  converse  in  a  foreign 
language  was  remarkable,  and  he  soon  learned 
to  understand  the  people  with  whom  he  was 
living.  Within  less  than  a  month  after  he 
entered  France  he  was  able  to  understand 
the  Parisians  and  speak  with  them  freely. 
It  is  also  evident  that  he  mastered  very  rap- 
idly the  common  words  and  ordinary  con- 
struction of  every  language  which  he  wished 
to  learn. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  completely 
Professor  Sears  gave  himself  to  the  work  in 
hand.  Thus,  in  a  letter  from  Leipsic,  May 
26,  1834,  he  says:  **This  summer  I  shall  be 
buried  in  Latin.  Lectures,  private  lessons, 
and  almost  everything  is  in  Latin.  Since  I 
began  this  letter  I  have  had  to  check  myself 
and  resist  German  and  Latin  expressions.  I 
am  charmed  with  the  lectures  of  Winer  and 
Hermann.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  I  be- 
lieve all  these  men  say,  but  I  am  instructed 


50  Barnas  Sears 

and  greatly  stimulated  by  their  genius  and 
learning.  ...  I  now  have  a  daily  exer- 
cise in  speaking  Latin.  This  makes  me  wish 
to  read  every  Latin  book  I  can  find.  The 
greatest  modern  Latin  writers — Muretus, 
Ruhnken,  and  Wittenbach — are  scarcely  out 
of  my  hands  a  minute.  My  only  trouble  is 
that  I  wish  to  read  them  all  at  once.''  Rarely 
is  any  one  so  fully  absorbed  in  his  studies. 
He  was  for  the  time  being  totus  in  illis. 

From  Leipsic  Professor  Sears  repaired  to 
Berlin,  and  at  the  great  University  of  that 
city  became  acquainted  with  Miiller,  *'with 
whom  no  living  physiologist  can  easily  dis- 
pute the  palm;''  with  Bopp,  "the  founder 
and  richest  ornament  of  the  Sanscrit  school 
of  comparative  philology ; ' '  with  Bock,  ' '  the 
greatest  living  master  of  Grecian  antiquity;" 
with  Bekker,  ''the  greatest  editor  of  the 
Greek  classics  from  manuscript  authorities;" 
with  Zumpt,  ''the  Latin  grammarian;"  with 
Grimm,  "the  greatest  German  grammarian, 
lexicographer,  and  antiquary ; "  with  Charles 
Ritter,  "the  prince  of  geographers;"  with 


A  Christian  Educator  51 

Ranke  the  historian,  ''with  no  rival  but 
Guizot;  with  the  self-taught  Pertz,  until 
lately  librarian  when  Leibnitz  was  in  Han- 
over but  now  in  Berlin,  prosecuting  the 
greatest  literary  project  of  the  kind,  a  com- 
plete and  critical  edition  of  all  the  Latin  his- 
torians of  Germany,  from  the  fifth  to  the 
fifteenth  century;''  with  Neander,  ''the  re- 
former and  almost  the  creator  of  philosophic 
church  history;''  and  with  Hengstenberg,  a 
resolute  conservative  in  biblical  criticism, 
"never  so  happy  as  when  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight  against  the  leaders  of  rationalism." 
To  have  met  with  these  men,  and  to  have  lis- 
tened to  several  of  them,  was  of  great  value 
to  such  a  man  as  this  young  American,  in 
quest  of  all  the  sources  of  knowledge.  But 
we  have  no  space  to  employ  in  descriptions  of 
his  Berlin  activity. 

After  his  university  work  in  Berlin,  and 
before  his  return  to  America,  he  spent  three 
months  in  Paris,  for  the  threefold  purpose 
of  increasing  his  knowledge  of  the  French 
language,    of    becoming  familiar    with    the 


52  Barnas  Sears 

theological  treasures  of  that  city,  and  of  en- 
couraging the  few  Baptists,  especially  the 
Rostans,  who  resided  there.  The  months 
were  crowded  with  activities,  and  were  of  no 
small  benefit  to  him  in  later  years.  He 
made  himself,  as  was  his  custom  in  other 
places,  master  of  the  topography  of  Paris, 
so  that  he  was  at  home  in  every  part  of  the 
city.  He  visited  the  greater  schools  and 
libraries  and  centers  of  light.  He  sought  the 
Christians  of  his  own  faith  and  spoke  to  them 
words  of  cheer  and  counsel,  such  as  only  an 
American  could  utter.  But  the  writer  has  no 
particulars  to  relate  concerning  the  lectures 
which  he  heard,  or  the  fruits  which  he  culled 
from  the  trees  of  that  great  orchard.  Yet 
he  has  heard  Doctor  Sears  speak  with  lively 
interest  of  the  months  passed  in  Paris  and  of 
his  success  in  learning  to  converse  in  French. 
In  summing  up  the  results  of  his  residence 
in  these  three  universities.  Doctor  Stearns 
remarks  that  *' His  life  in  Germany  inflamed 
his  zeal  for  the  broadest  culture  possible, 
placed  in  his  hands  the  best  methods  for 


A  Christian  Educator  53 

careful  research  and  authoritative  results, 
and  empowered  him  to  understand  the 
sources  of  Christian  knowledge  and  the  limi- 
tations to  which  it  is  subject.  He  was  not 
tainted  with  rationalism,  so  called,  nor  did 
he  lose  his  faith  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers; 
his  stability  in  the  old  paths  was  strengthened 
by  the  resistance  of  opposing  forces.  It  was 
needful  to  know  whereof  he  affirmed;  and 
this  necessity  settled  him  the  more  solidly  on 
the  Rock  which  can  never  be  shaken.  .  .  . 
He  was  now  nearly  thirty-three  years  old, 
with  health  restored,  and  with  mind  and  heart 
eager  to  express  themselves;  and  when 
almost  exactly  at  that  age  he  resumed  his 
labors  at  Hamilton,  no  teacher  among  the 
Baptists  of  this  country  was  more  thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  position  to  which  he  had 
been  called. '* 


CHAPTER  IV 

PROFESSOR  AND   PRESIDENT   AT   NEWTON 
THEOLOGICAL   INSTITUTION 

1835-1848 

After  his  return  from  Europe,  Professor 
Sears  taught  less  than  a  full  year  at  Hamil- 
ton. His  reputation  had  greatly  increased 
since  he  left  the  seminary  at  Newton,  the 
residence  of  his  wife  and  child  at  Brookline 
during  his  stay  abroad  had  served  to  keep 
him  before  the  minds  of  his  Newton  friends, 
and  many  of  the  people  wished  to  see  him 
again  as  a  teacher  where  he  had  been  three 
years  a  pupil.  To  the  great  disappointment 
of  Hamilton,  a  change  in  his  place  of  labor 
was  soon  effected. 

For  in  May,  1836,  the  Rev.  Bamas  Sears  be- 
gan his  labors  in  the  Newton  Theological  In- 
stitution as  Professor  of  Christian  Theology. 

54 


A  Christian  Educator  55 

To  this  chair  he  had  been  elected  *'a  short 
time  since/'  as  the  record  book  of  the  faculty- 
attests.  The  title, ' '  Christian  Theology, ' '  was 
now  given  for  the  first  time  to  a  chair  of  in- 
struction in  this  seminary.  It  took  the  place 
of  the  chair  of  ''Biblical  Theology,''  prob- 
ably because  the  latter  designation  had  begun 
to  be  used  in  a  more  restricted  sense,  to  sig- 
nify historical  theology  as  taught  in  different 
books  of  Holy  Scripture,  rather  than  the- 
ology as  derived  by  synthesis  from  the  teach- 
ing of  the  whole  Bible.  Christian  theology, 
as  understood  by  Professor  Sears,  was  to  be 
drawn  primarily  from  the  Scriptures,  yet 
their  doctrines  were  to  be  logically  arranged, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  rationally  supported. 
Hence  a  teacher  of  this  science  ought  to  be 
familiar  with  philosophy,  psychology,  his- 
tory, natural  science,  and  interpretation, 
although  bound  to  give  the  first  place  in 
authority  to  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Few 
young  men  at  that  time  possessed  ampler 
qualifications  for  the  chair  than  Barnas  Sears. 
Doctor  Stearns  has  truly  said :  ''He  was  in  the 


56  Barnas  Sears 

prime  of  life,  in  vigorous  health,  the  posses- 
sor of  a  well-stocked  library,  his  mind  thor- 
oughly disciplined,  and  his  acquisitions 
ample,  his  heart  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
denomination  he  loved,  and  his  purpose  fixed 
to  do  for  Newton,  and  what  Newton  repre- 
sented, all  that  Barnas  Sears  could  do/'  His 
motto  was:  ''While  religion  should  be  our 
atmosphere,  knowledge  should  be  our  food, 
and  discipline  our  exercise/*  ^ 

To  estimate  correctly  what  Doctor  Sears 
accomplished  during  the  twelve  years  of  his 
service  in  Newton,  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in 
mind  that,  in  addition  to  the  regular  work  of 
his  professorship,  which  he  never  slighted, 
he  gave  instruction  in  church  history  dur- 
ing a  part  of  the  time ;  that  for  the  last  ten 
years  he  was  president  of  the  seminary;  that 
he  was  editor  of  the  Christian  Review  a  num- 
ber of  years;  that  he  was  the  writer  of 
numerous  articles  in  that  review,  in  the  Bihli- 
otheca  Sacra^  and  in  the  American  Encyclo- 
pedia;   that    he   was   the   author    of   four 

^  From  his  diary. 


A  Christian  Educator  57 

volumes  and  the  principal  contributor  to  a 
fifth ;  that  he  was  for  years  an  active  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  American 
Baptist  Missionary  Union;  and  that  he  was 
frequently  preacher  of  ordination  and  other  oc- 
casional sermons.  During  this  period  Doctor 
Sears  worked  rapidly  and  intensely,  yet  with 
great  care  and  exactness.  He  believed  that 
five  hours  of  concentrated  and  vigorous  effort 
were  worth  more  in  the  attainment  or  ex- 
pression of  knowledge  than  ten  hours  of  less 
strenuous  efiFort.  So  he  worked  with  a  will, 
with  soul,  mind,  and  strength,  and  the  prod- 
uct of  his  work  was  abundant  and  precious. 

Five  of  his  sixteen  articles  in  the  Christian 
Review  are  characterized  as  follows  by  Doctor 
Stearns: ''  His  review  of  Neander's  '  Church 
History '  is  a  careful  resume  of  church  history 
and  church  historians.  His  review  of  Burgess 
'  On  Baptism '  is  a  classic.  His  review  of  Wig- 
ger's  '  Pelagian  Controversy '  is  exhaustive. 
His  article  on  '  China,  its  Geography  and  Re- 
ligion,' exhibits  a  familiarity  with  the  land 
and  the  people  satisfactory  even  to  a  native 


58  Barnas  Sears 

scholar.  His  article  on  *  Augustine'  is  both 
learned  and  philosophical.  No  less  valuable 
are  his  well-known  articles  in  the  Bibliotheca 
Sacra:  'Reformers  before  the  Reformation,' 
*The  Papacy  and  the  Empire,'  *Redepen- 
ning's  Life  of  Origen,'  *  Historical  Studies,' 
'The  Religious  Experience  of  Luther  in  the 
Cloister  of  Erfurt,'  being  not  only  good  but 
authoritative  reading."  The  books  which  he 
gave  to  the  public  during  this  period  were: 
**  Noehden's  German  Grammar,"  so  recasting 
it  and  supplying  its  deficiencies  that,  for  a  long 
time,  it  was  the  best  in  the  English  language ; 
"The  Ciceronian,"  explaining  the  German 
method  of  teaching  Latin;  *'  Select  Treatises 
of  Luther,"  in  German,  with  notes,  designed 
as  a  stimulus  to  the  study  of  early  German,  for 
which  he  had  great  fondness;  *'The  Life  of 
Martin  Luther,"  which  he  failed  to  complete 
according  to  the  original  plan ;  and  *'  Classical 
Studies:  or.  Ancient  Literature,"  his  collabor- 
ators being  Prof essors  B.  B.  Edwards  of  And- 
over,  and  C.  C.  Pelton  of  Harvard,  the  bulk 
of  the  book  being  his  own  contributions. 


A  Christian  Educator  59 

Doctor  Sears  was  a  most  inspiring  teacher 
of  theology,  and  perhaps  equally  so  of  church 
history.  He  never  used  a  text-book,  and 
rarely  or  never  brought  more  than  the  brief- 
est notes  into  the  class-room.  His  supreme 
purpose  was  to  lead  his  pupils  to  investigate 
and  judge  for  themselves,  to  go  out  into  the 
world  of  history  and  of  experience,  and  espe- 
cially into  the  domain  of  Scripture  for  the 
data  to  be  used  in  reasoning  about  questions 
of  faith,  and  then  to  reason  soberly  and 
fairly,  with  the  expectation  of  finding  the 
ultimate  grounds  of  their  belief.  He  kept  in 
mind  the  nature  of  their  vocation,  namely, 
that  of  being  leaders  of  religious  thought  and 
conduct,  and  felt  that  to  qualify  them  for 
their  mission  in  the  world  they  must  be  led 
first  of  all  to  build  the  structure  of  their  own 
creed  with  their  own  hands.  They  must  be 
incited  to  handle  and  weigh,  to  test  and 
shape  every  stone  which  was  placed  in  that 
edifice,  lest  there  should  be  found  at  last,  in 
some  part  of  it,  wood,  hay,  or  stubble,  to  mar 
its  strength  or  its   beauty.      He  therefore 


6o  Barnas  Sears 

encouraged  them  to  controvert  his  own  views 
or  those  of  their  classmates,  with  vigor  but 
courtesy,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  sub- 
ject in  hand  thoroughly  canvassed  by  the 
very  persons  who  were  in  all  probability  to 
discuss  the  same  subject  before  the  people. 
Moreover,  he  knew  how  to  guide  such  a  de- 
bate and  make  it  profitable.  He  was  an 
adept  in  the  art  of  leading  his  pupils  to  an- 
ticipate problems  sure  to  meet  them  in  ac^ 
tual  life,  and  to  find  the  solution  of  them. 
His  courtesy  and  tact  were  so  prompt  and 
natural  that  his  pupils  often  became,  for  the 
time  being,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  their 
master,  earnest  teachers  of  one  another. 
That  this  method  was  deliberately  chosen, 
appears  from  one  of  his  reports  to  the  trus- 
tees. ''The  leading  objects  of  the  teacher 
(meaning  himself)  have  been:  (i)  To  create  a 
deep  interest  in  the  study;  (2)  to  point  out 
the  extent  and  connections  of  the  subject  of 
inquiry,  together  with  the  method  to  be  pur- 
sued and  the  means  to  be  employed;  (3)  to 
have  the  results  of  such  investigations  and 


o 

Id 


I- 
ul 


I- 


A  Christian  Educator  6i 

reflections  presented  first  by  the  student, 
then  by  the  class,  and  lastly  by  the  teacher, 
in  free,  but  not  polemic  discussions;  (4)  to 
have  the  fundamental  doctrines  and  collat- 
eral topics  in  any  branch  of  study,  the  most 
important  works,  ancient  and  modern,  on 
theology,  the  best  chapters  and  treatises 
on  particular  topics  made  the  subjects  of 
analyses,  critiques,  translations,  etc.,  to  be 
read  before  the  class,  and  followed  by  oral 
discussion.  Neither  the  examination  of 
text-books  nor  formal  lectures  have  been 
adopted.'' 

Doctor  Sears  was  a  great  lover  of  books  and 
a  fine  judge  of  their  value.  What  he  read  he 
mastered  and  could  reproduce  in  a  condensed 
form.  He  often  referred  in  his  class-room 
to  the  works  of  distinguished  men,  pointed 
out  their  particular  excellences,  and  criti- 
cised in  a  keen  but  kindly  spirit  their  faults. 
One  left  his  presence  eager  to  get  hold  of 
some  of  these  books  and  to  enjoy  the  light 
which  they  would  pour  on  the  subjects  of 
present  inquiry. 


62  Barnas  Sears 

Doctor  Sears  came  to  his  class-room  full 
of  the  subject  to  be  investigated.  It  was  his 
habit  to  study  with  his  coat  off,  so  to  speak, 
up  to  the  time  when  he  must  start  for  the 
old  Mansion  House  on  the  top  of  the  hill, 
so  that  his  theme  had  full  possession  of  him 
when  he  came  before  his  waiting  pupils.  In- 
stantly, after  a  few  words  of  reverent  prayer, 
he  took  his  seat  and  was  at  once  in  the  heart 
of  his  theme.  The  inward  fire  was  aglow, 
and  whether  he  began  with  an  explanation, 
or  a  historical  resume ^  or  a  question,  it  was 
evident  from  his  manner  that  he  was  already 
grappling  with  the  truth  to  be  vindicated  or 
the  error  to  be  exposed.  No  time  was  lost  in 
getting  at  work.  The  field  to  be  explored 
was  rapidly  outlined  and  made  to  appear  so 
large  and  interesting  that  every  moment  of 
the  hour  was  seen  to  be  needed  for  the  task 
of  surveying  it  properly.  Yet  there  was  no 
hurry  or  rush  or  confusion  in  the  look  or 
utterance  of  the  teacher.  But  the  task  was 
one  that  claimed  instant  and  perfect  atten- 
tion.    If  the  field  to  be  surveyed  was  large, 


A  Christian  Educator  63 

time  must  be  taken  to  make  the  survey  thor- 
ough. But  any  delay  or  beating  about  the 
bush  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  The  game 
was  already  in  sight  and  the  chase  begun. 
Nevertheless,  the  interest  was  well  sustained. 
It  grew  deeper  and  livelier  until  the  hour 
was  past.  Students  forgot  the  hardness  of 
the  benches  on  which  they  sat.  The  desk 
before  them  might  be  old  and  soiled  and  cut 
by  many  a  daring  knife,  but  they  perceived 
it  not.  Their  minds  were  with  their  teacher 
or  the  subject  which  he  had  laid  before 
them. 

Yet  their  interest  was  not  merely  in- 
tellectual ;  it  was  often  deeply  religious. 
Conscience  and  feeling  were  touched,  and 
candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry  felt  them- 
selves constrained  to  devote  their  lives  to  a 
more  fervent  service  of  Christ.  The  writer 
will  never  forget  the  impression  made  upon 
him  by  Doctor  Sears's  luminous  discussion  of 
the  Divine  Perfections,  or  by  one  of  his  ablest 
occasional  sermons,  having  for  its  theme, 
*'The  Love  of  God.''     His  treatment  of  the 


64  Barnas  Sears 

profoundest  verities  of  religion  was  singu- 
larly lucid  and  convincing. 

The  theology  taught  by  Doctor  Sears  was 
biblical  in  its  source  and  evangelical  in  its 
tone.  It  was  clear  to  those  who  sat  at  his 
feet  that  he  was  not  in  search  of  new  opinions 
because  they  were  new,  or  of  old  opinions 
because  they  were  old,  but  rather  of  the 
truth,  whether  new  or  old.  But,  though  his 
theology  was  biblical  in  its  source,  he  did  not 
shut  his  eyes  to  the  lessons  of  nature.  While 
he  believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  highest  and 
perfect  revelation  of  God  the  Father,  his 
mind  was  evermore  hospitable  to  truth  from 
any  source.  He  was  indeed  a  Baptist  from 
conviction,  but  he  was  at  the  same  time 
large-minded  and  large-hearted  towards  men 
of  other  creeds ;  and  always  ready  to  defend 
their  right  to  the  same  ''liberty  of  soul'' 
which  he  claimed  for  himself.  His  relations 
with  men  of  other  churches  were  friendly 
and  his  recognition  of  their  excellence 
prompt.  When  listening  to  his  class-room 
instructions,   or  observing    his   pleasure  in 


A  Christian  Educator  65 

a  fair  debate  between  students  on  a  mooted 
question,  one  was  led  to  feel  instinctively 
that  his  confidence  in  truth  was  steadfast, 
and  his  desire  to  have  freedom  for  all  in 
search  of  it  was  most  sincere.  He  was  de- 
lighted to  have  those  who  were  to  be  pub- 
lic teachers  of  religion  look  at  all  sides  of  a 
problem  before  claiming  to  have  solved  it. 
The  following  picture  of  a  first  hour  in  his 
class-room  is  from  the  pen  of  his  loving  pupil, 
Doctor  Oakman  S.  Stearns.  Nothing  could 
be  truer  to  fact. 

*' Drawing  from  personal  recollections,  let 
me  invite  you  to  accompany  me  to  the  famil- 
iar and  homely  class-room  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  old  Mansion  House.  There  is 
a  class  of  twelve  scattered  about  the  room, 
sitting  before  crude  benches,  with  pen,  ink, 
and  note-books,  waiting  for  the  presence  of 
him  of  whom  they  have  heard  much,  but  of 
whom  they  know  little.  The  door  opens. 
A  tall,  dignified,  white-haired  man  enters  and 
quietly  takes  his  seat.  Other  teachers  are 
accustomed  to  stand,  but  he  sits.     He  sits 


66  Barnas  Sears 

before  a  rusty-looking,  green-covered  table, 
draws  from  his  pocket  a  few  pieces  of  paper 
on  which  something  seems  to  be  written,  lays 
them  down,  and  then  rises  and  says,  *Let  us 
pray/  You  know  him  to  be  your  teacher, 
but  before  that  brief  prayer  closes,  you  feel 
him  to  be  your  brother  and  your  friend.  His 
simplicity  of  manner,  his  freedom  from  as- 
sumption, his  exemption  from  any  impres- 
sion that  what  he  is  about  to  say  will  be 
oracular,  though  full  to  the  brim  with  the 
purpose  of  the  hour,  in  form,  in  bearing,  in 
the  entire  make-up  of  the  man,  the  first  and 
the  strongest  conviction  you  receive  is  frater- 
nal sympathy.  Such  a  man,  you  soliloquize 
.  .  .  will  not  ask  that  his  ipse  dixit 
shall  be  the  final  utterance  concerning  God's 
thoughts.  He  doubtless  knows  more  than  I 
and  will  probably  tell  me  much  that  I  do  not 
know,  but  he  is  seeking  to  ascend  the  heights 
and  descend  the  depths  of  God  in  nature, 
God  in  man,  and  God  in  revelation ;  and  all 
he  will  require  is  to  search  with  him  for  the 
solid   stepping-stones.     Such   was   the   first 


A  Christian  Educator  67 

impression  Professor  Sears  made  upon  me. 
And  I  think  a  like  impression  was  received 
by  all  those  students  who  studied  with  him.'* 
Doctor  Stearns  then  proceeds  to  character- 
ize his  teaching  as  (i)  comprehensive,  (2) 
scriptural,  (3)  incisive  and  suggestive,  (4) 
timely.  ''  Repeatedly  he  would  say,  *  Young 
gentlemen,  it  is  easy  to  destroy,  not  so  easy 
to  rebuild.  If  you  remove  the  old  land- 
marks you  must  supply  their  place.  An  oft- 
quoted  text  may  be  irrelevant,  but  there  are 
enough  that  are  relevant.' '' 

Among  the  highly  valued  treasures  of  the 
writer  is  a  small  note-book  of  Doctor  Sears, 
a  gift  from  him  as  a  pignus  amiciticE  to  one 
who  had  been  called  to  the  chair  which  Doc- 
tor Sears  himself  had  so  ably  filled.  A  few 
paragraphs  from  this  manuscript  treasure 
will  perhaps  be  welcome  to  the  reader.  These 
paragraphs  are  parts  of  a  mere  outline,  a  dry 
epitome,  of  what  the  great  teacher  expanded 
by  way  of  ''  Introduction ''  to  his  course  in 
theology. 


68  Barnas  Sears 

**  Theology  is  the  Science  of  Religion. 
**  Religion 

**We  are  here  concerned  only  with  what 
truly  appertains  to  the  Christian  religion. 
Whatever  true  elements  of  religion  may 
exist  in  paganism,  and  there  are  many,  are 
embraced  in  Christianity. 

''  Religion,  to  be  genuine,  must  be  founded 
upon  objective  truth ;  and,  to  be  vital,  must 
have  a  subjective  existence.  Without  the 
former,  it  would  be  nothing  but  superstition ; 
without  the  latter,  nothing  but  a  knowledge 
that  is  vain. 

*' Religion  is  not  knowledge,  is  not  feeling, 
is  not  action ;  it  is  all  these  combined, — it  is 
spiritual  life.  Love,  though  the  most  vital 
part  of  religion,  is  but  a  part.  A  feeling  of 
dependence  on  God,  as  defined  by  Schleier- 
macher,  is  too  vague  a  representation.  Still 
more  unsatisfactory  is  the  Hegelian  defini- 
tion, a  tendency  to  the  infinite.  God  dwell- 
ing in  the  soul — ^the  view  of  Hengstenberg — 
is  substituting  the  cause  for  the  effect.  Modus 


A  Christian  Educator  69 

cognoscendi  et  colendi  Deum,  makes  religion  an 
aggregate  without  unity. 

''Whether  reHgion  has  its  seat  primarily  in 
the  understanding  or  in  the  affections  (moral 
suasion,  the  taste  system),  whether  it  is 
essentially  yvc3(ns  or  Ttiari^  (Origen,  and  his 
opponents,  Augustine  says,  Fides  prcecedit 
intellectui) ,  a  habitus  theoreticus  or  a  habitus 
practicus  (the  Scholastics,  the  Mystics),  has 
been  a  question  of  much  controversy.  The 
decision  of  this  question  must  greatly  affect 
the  mode  of  preaching  and  of  all  religious 
instruction. 

''  If  we  analyze  religion  and  find  it  to  con- 
sist of  knowledge,  feeling  and  action,  follow- 
ing, too,  in  this  order,  it  will  be  evident  that 
action,  being  an  effect  of  the  two  former, 
though  essential  as  evidence,  cannot  be  the 
radical  part.  Knowledge,  again,  though  an 
indispensable  condition,  is  merely  a  necessary 
antecedent  (and  so  is  life,  reason,  etc.),  and 
not  of  itself  a  producing  cause  of  right  affec- 
tions. Take  away  the  middle  link,  and  there 
is  nothing  of  religion  left.     A  holy  inclination 


70  Barnas  Sears 

throws  back  upon  the  understanding  a  clearer 
light,  and  here  spiritual  knowledge  com- 
mences and  sets  the  whole  machinery  of  re- 
ligion in  operation. 

''It  may  be  true  that  these  spiritual  per- 
ceptions are  the  acts  of  the  understanding, 
the  affections  having  no  perceptive  faculty, 
but  if  unholy  affections  necessarily  prevent 
these  moral  perceptions,  and  holy  affections 
necessarily  produce  them,  then  these  affec- 
tions are  the  spiritual  part,  notwithstanding 
they  act  only  through  the  medium  of  the 
intellect. 

''  It  has  been  said  that  religion  resides  ex- 
clusively in  the  will;  that  this  is  the  only 
moral  faculty,  the  only  one  whose  action  de- 
pends entirely  upon  ourselves,  and,  of  course, 
the  only  one  for  which  we  are  accountable. 
But  it  cannot  be  shown  that  the  will  has  any 
direct  power  over  the  affections,  whereas  it  is 
easy  to  show  that  the  affections  govern  the 
will.  If  this  can  be  shown  in  any  common 
exercises  of  the  mind,  it  will  establish  their 
order  as  cause  and  effect  in  religious  exer- 


A  Christian  Educator  71 

cises.  Love,  for  example,  is  not  the  result 
of  volition,  but  springs  from  the  adaptedness 
of  the  object  to  the  character  of  the  individ- 
ual. Now,  love — ^the  essence  of  religion — is 
not  itself  a  right  state  of  the  will,  though  pro- 
ducing it.  All  the  powers  must  be  subject  to 
religious  influence.  The  intellect  must  first 
apprehend  certain  truths  (few  and  simple)  as 
a  prerequisite  to  regeneration.  In  connec- 
tion with  that  (by  some  unknown  law  of 
fitness)  the  Holy  Spirit  must  change  the  in- 
clination. This  governs  the  will,  and  every- 
thing else  follows  spontaneously.  Of  this, 
more  under  the  head.  Regeneration. 

'*  Christianity  is  partly  an  assemblage  of 
facts,  and  partly  a  system  of  principles. 
Neither  can  be  laid  aside  without  destroying 
it  as  a  whole.  The  one  relates  to  it  as  an 
actual  provision  for  restoring  fallen  men ;  the 
other  as  containing  immutable  principles  of 
truth,  which  can  exist  alone  for  such  as  have 
never  sinned.  Strauss  denies  the  facts ;  and 
many  have  but  a  faint  perception  of  the 
principles  of  Christianity. 


72  Barnas  Sears 

"Theology,  which  related  first  to  the  Di- 
vine Nature,  was  in  the  Middle  Ages  extended 
to  all  divine  things — Xoyoi  rov  Saov  or  rov 
deiov.  Its  object  is  to  give  an  exact  and  at 
the  same  time  comprehensive  view  of  all  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible. 

**  (i)  Popular  and  poetical  language  is  to 
be  translated,  so  far  as  may  be,  into  the  exact 
language  of  science.  Hence  it  presupposes 
an  exegetical  training.  Some  subjects  can 
be  so  well  understood  by  us,  as  to  enable  us 
to  determine  with  clearness  how  language 
must  be  understood;  but  on  subjects  beyond 
our  comprehension  a  difficulty  in  interpreting 
language  will  always  remain. 

*'  (2)  Subjects  must  be  analyzed  philo- 
sophically, so  far  as  it  is  in  our  power  to  do  it. 
Otherwise,  their  nature,  their  difference  or 
agreement  with  others  cannot  be  under- 
stood. E.  g.,  repentance,  faith,  love,  regen- 
eration, sanctification. 

**  (3)  The  relations  of  doctrines  to  each 
other  must  be  so  far  ascertained  as  to  pre- 
serve their  harmony.     The  uncertain  must 


A  Christian  Educator  73 

conform  to  the  certain ;  our  inferences  must 
not  set  aside  divine  testimony.  Express  and 
clear  declarations  of  Scripture,  and  simple 
and  necessary  inferences,  take  the  prece- 
dence of  philosophical  speculation  and  long 
concatenations  of  reasoning.  Two  doctrines 
fully  established  by  independent  evidence, 
must  be  allowed  to  stand,  even  when  we  can- 
not perceive  the  connection,  which  is  most 
likely  to  occur  on  subjects  which  lie  out  of 
the  sphere  of  human  knowledge. 

'*The  demands  of  theology,  as  a  science, 
are  exegetical  and  logical,  the  former  fur- 
nishing the  material,  the  latter  the  instru- 
ment. 

**  The  relation  of  philosophy,  or  reason,  to 
theology  is  not  perfectly  simple.  As  philos- 
ophy is  a  very  broad  term,  we  must  make 
many  distinctions,  (i)  Science  cannot  be 
overruled  by  theology.  (2)  Necessary  con- 
sequences of  established  principles  cannot  be 
disregarded.  (3)  Reason  is  a  guide  in  those 
lower  matters  which  are  presupposed  by  the 
Scriptures.     (4)  Speculation  on  the  highest 


74  Barnas  Sears 

questions  respecting  God  and  the  invisible 
world  can  never  be  the  basis  of  a  sound  the- 
ology. (5)  Those  essential  principles  which 
are  common  to  all  systems  of  philosophy 
must  be  admitted  by  the  theologian. 

**  Theology  borders  on  mental  philosophy 
as  it  does  on  many  sciences,  but  it  does  not 
include  any  of  them.  These  relations  are  to 
be  pointed  out  in  the  discussion  of  particular 
topics  and  everything  referred  to  its  proper 
place. 

**  The  relation  of  Christian  theology  to  nat- 
ural  theology  is  that  of  a  certain,  authorita- 
tive, and  complete  system  to  that  of  a  vague, 
insufficient,  and  imperfect  one.  The  latter  is 
either  presupposed  by  the  former,  or  included 
in  it.  Such  a  system  of  pure  natural  the- 
ology never  existed. 

''Its  relation  to  Christian  Ethics  is  that  of 
cause  and  effect ;  and  they  cannot  be  entirely 
separated.  When,  for  the  sake  of  conven- 
ience, they  are  separated,  the  latter  must 
repeat  so  much  of  the  former  as  to  lay  a 
foundation  for  itself.     If,  as  in  this  country 


A  Christian  Educator  75 

and  England,  moral  philosophy  is  made  a 
distinct  science  not  including  the  Christian 
system,  then  what  is  peculiar  to  Christian 
ethics  can  be  introduced  into  theology  in  con- 
nection with  the  Christian  virtues,  the  rest 
(moral  philosophy)  being  presupposed/* 


CHAPTER  V 

SECRETARY    OF    THE    MASSACHUSETTS    BOARD 
OF   EDUCATION 

1848-1855 

During  his  connection  with  Newton,  Pro- 
fessor Sears  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Harvard  College 
(1841).  After  twelve  years  of  arduous 
service  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Board  of  Education,  and  resigned 
his  place  in  Newton  to  be  the  successor  of 
Horace  Mann  in  a  post  which  few  men  were 
supposed  able  to  fill.  It  will  be  unnecessary  to 
attempt  any  elaborate  description  of  his  work 
in  the  position  which  he  occupied  so  honor- 
ably and  usefully  for  the  next  seven  years. 
Among  his  successors  in  that  office  was  the 
Honorable  George  S.  Boutwell,  who  thus 
spoke  of  the  task  achieved  by  Doctor  Sears 
as  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education: 
76 


A  Christian  Educator  ^1 

*'When  the  intellectual  powers  of  Doctor 
Sears  were  in  their  fullness,  when  his  scholar- 
ship was  recognized  generally  by  learned  men 
and  by  universities,  when  his  capacity  for 
useful  public  service  had  been  tested  and 
justified  by  experience,  he  accepted  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Education.  His  only  predecessor  was  Hor- 
ace Mann.  That  eminent  leader  of  public 
opinion,  and  reformer  both  of  the  methods 
and  of  the  result  of  education,  had  impressed 
his  ideas  upon  the  people  and  woven  his 
policy  into  the  institutions  of  the  State.  But 
his  career  had  been  a  career  of  controversy, 
in  which  indeed  he  had  triumphed.  But 
there  lingered  in  the  minds  of  many  a  hope 
that  the  changes  which  he  had  introduced 
and  the  reforms  which  he  had  established 
would,  at  no  distant  day,  be  overthrown. 
The  State,  in  Doctor  Sears,  secured  an  ex- 
ponent and  advocate  and  a  most  temperate 
defender  of  the  reforms  which  Mr.  Mann  had 
introduced.  There  was  no  step  backward, 
but   he   presented   always   the   genial   and 


78  Barnas  Sears 

attractive  side  of  every  subject  to  the  pub- 
lic. In  the  Normal  Schools,  in  the  Teachers' 
Institutes,  and  in  the  County  Associations,  he 
brought  into  the  public  service  eminent  men 
and  distinguished  teachers,  of  whom  I  may 
mention  President  Felton,  Professor  Agassiz, 
Professor  Guyot,  Professor  Russell,  Lowell 
Mason,  and  George  B.  Emerson;  and  thus 
were  the  youth  and  the  children  of  the  State 
brought  under  the  influence  of  persons  who 
gave  them  high  ideas  of  life  and  the  best 
practical  illustrations  of  the  art  of  teaching. 
What  in  Mr.  Mann's  time  had  been  regarded 
by  many  as  experimental,  became  in  Doctor 
Sears's  time  the  established  and  recognized 
policy  of  the  State.  Old  controversies  were 
silenced.  Our  system  of  public  education, 
schools  for  all  the  people,  sustained  by  all  the 
people,  was  placed  upon  a  foundation  as  im- 
movable as  the  foundation  of  the  State  itself. 
'*  It  would  be  too  much,  perhaps,  to  say 
that  all  these  great  changes  were  due  to  Doc- 
tor Sears  alone,  but  I  cannot  doubt  that  to 
his  urbanity,  to  his  earnestness,  to  his  intelli- 


% 


THE  REV.  BARNAS  SEARS,  D.D.,  ABOUT  1850 
(While  Secretary  of  Mass.  Board  of  Education) 


A  Christian  Educator  79 

gent  activity,  the  State  was  largely  indebted 
for  the  establishment  of  a  new  order  of 
things  in  our  system  of  public  instruction. 
It  cannot  be  assumed  that  Doctor  Sears 
could  have  instituted  the  reforms  or  carried 
out  the  contest  which  made  the  administra- 
tion of  Mr.  Mann  conspicuous,  but  it  would 
be  equally  improper  to  assume  that  even  Mr. 
Mann  himself  could  have  established  per- 
manently the  reforms  which  he  instituted,  or 
have  made  fixed  in  the  policy  of  the  State 
the  changes  which  he  had  advocated.  These 
two  co-workers  placed  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  under  the  greatest  obligation. 
That  old,  imperfect  system  of  education  was 
set  aside  and  a  new  and  better  one  placed  in 
its  stead.  The  change  was  for  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  example  was  for  the  whole 
country.  And  if,  in  the  richness  of  these 
thirty  years,  other  communities  have  at- 
tained such  excellence  in  their  system  of 
education  as  banishes  every  thought  of 
the  claim  of  superiority  on  our  part,  then 
they,  equally  with  ourselves,  owe  a   debt 


8o  Barnas  Sears 

to  the  memory  of  Horace  Mann  and  Barnas 
Sears." 

This  may  be  accepted  as  a  just  estimate  of 
the  work  of  Doctor  Sears  as  Secretary  of  the 
Massachusetts  Board  of  Education  from  1848 
to  1855.  It  refers  to  the  principal  difficul- 
ties of  his  task  and  to  some  of  the  elements  of 
his  power  to  accomplish  it.  Perhaps  there 
was  no  man  in  the  State  who  could  have 
filled  more  ably  than  himself  the  place  to 
which  he  was  called.  For  his  interest  in  public 
schools  was  profound  and  his  knowledge  of 
systems  and  methods  of  education  unsur- 
passed. At  the  same  time  he  was  in  accord 
with  his  predecessor  and  with  the  Board  in 
respect  to  the  methods  to  be  employed  as 
well  as  to  the  ideals  to  be  sought  in  general 
education.  The  success  of  his  many  Teachers* 
Institutes  was  marked  and  undeniable;  and 
their  success  was  due  even  more  to  his  in- 
spiring presence  and  generalship  than  to  the 
great  ability  of  the  men  whom  he  called  to 
his  assistance.  There  was  alertness  and 
animation  and  good  cheer  wherever  he  pre- 


A  Christian  Educator  8i 

sided,  and  teachers  returned  to  their  calling 
with  zeal  enkindled  for  nobler  service  after  a 
week  with  him  and  his  helpers.  It  is  hard 
to  overrate  the  value  of  personal  intercourse 
with  such  an  educator.  In  this  respect  he 
was  probably  superior  to  Horace  Mann; 
more  genial,  more  stimulating,  at  least  in 
tone  and  manner,  and  more  winsome ;  a  great 
leader  with  an  appreciative  and  loving  spirit, 
pointing  out  fearlessly  ways  of  possible  ad- 
vance, while  recognizing  generously  every- 
thing strong  or  beautiful  in  current  methods 
or  workers.  In  this  direction  may  be  seen 
his  unrivaled  power.  This  made  him  an 
educator  of  educators. 

A  few  excerpts  from  his  Annual  Reports 
will  be  welcome  to  every  intelligent  reader, 
even  though  they  are  too  brief  to  afford  a 
clear  view  of  the  significance  of  the  complete 
documents.  In  his  Report  for  the  year  1850 
he  treats,  among  other  things,  of  the  Teach- 
ers' Institutes  held  during  the  previous  year. 
"The  experience  of  the  present  year  goes  to 
confirm  that  of  past  years,  that  no  means 


82  Barnas  Sears 

employed  by  the  State  for  the  improvement 
of  the  schools  have  an  immediate  efficiency 
equal  to  that  of  the  Institutes.  They  per- 
form the  office  of  light-armed  troops,  and  by 
the  celerity  of  their  movements  accomplish 
much  that  lies  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Nor- 
mal Schools.  .  .  .  By  reducing  the  time 
from  ten  days  to  six,  I  am  able  to  take  the 
supervision  of  them  all,  without  any  inter- 
ruption, and  to  procure  instructors  of  a  high 
order  and  retain  them  without  change  to  the 
end.  A  larger  number  of  teachers,  likewise, 
can  afford  the  time  and  the  expense  necessary 
to  attend.  .  .  .  The  object  is  to  give  the 
whole  body  of  teachers  a  new  impulse  to 
improvement;  to  direct  their  attention  to 
the  importance  of  ascertaining  the  best 
methods  of  instruction ;  to  lead  them,  through 
the  influence  of  eminent  and  experienced 
teachers,  to  task  their  own  invention,  judg- 
ment, and  skill  to  the  utmost  for  perfecting 
themselves  in  the  art  of  teaching.  .  .  . 
The  tone  and  spirit  of  an  Institute  is  there- 
fore a  matter  of  much  greater  moment  than 


A  Christian  Educator  83 

the  amount  of  time  given  to  a  mere  review 
of  studies/' 

In  the  Report  for  1855,  having  set  forth  the 
principal  arguments  for  and  against  having 
any  religious  teaching  in  public  schools,  he 
said:  ** Considerations  of  this  nature  have 
done  much  to  unite  the  great  bulk  of  the 
community  on  the  common  ground  of  a 
Christian  but  unsectarian  education  for  all 
the  Commonwealth.  It  has  been  found, 
upon  experiment,  that  religion  can  be  intro- 
duced into  the  schools,  without  polemical 
theology;  that  the  Christian  temper  and 
spirit  can  be  exhibited  and  inculcated,  with- 
out stirring  the  bitter  waters  of  strife ;  and 
that  instruction  in  religion  and  religious  doc- 
trines can  be  added  to  any  extent,  at  home 
or  elsewhere,  through  some  one  or  more  of 
the  numerous  provisions  which  are  made  for 
all  who  desire  that  instruction.''  Referring 
to  past  controversies,  he  says :  *'  But  when  the 
battle  has  been  fairly  fought  out  and  the  vic- 
tory won,  the  change  is  irrevocable.  Spec- 
tres will  not  make  their  appearance  after  the 


84  Barnas  Sears 

day  has  dawned.  All  that  has  here  been  said 
is  veritable  history.  The  early  friends  of  the 
Massachusetts  movement  in  education  have 
not  forgotten  it.  Of  these  struggles,  enough 
remains  in  some  few  parts  of  the  State  to 
render  intelligible  descriptions  given  of  pre- 
vious conditions  of  things,  somewhat  as  cer- 
tain living  animals  in  some  parts  of  the  world, 
serve  to  illustrate  the  fossil  remains  of  former 
geological  periods.  But,  in  general,  a  great 
change  has  come  over  the  Commonwealth  in 
this  respect,  which  is  attributable  to  a  variety 
of  causes.  The  seed  sown  at  a  previous  pe- 
riod is  producing  its  harvest  now.  The  ideas 
which  then  belonged  to  the  few  have  become 
the  property  of  the  many.  The  smaller  num- 
ber, with  the  right  on  their  side,  have  proved 
stronger,  in  the  end,  than  the  greater  number 
without  it.  But,  after  making  due  allow- 
ance for  all  these  and  similar  considerations, 
the  principal  cause,  if  not  of  the  change  itself, 
at  least  of  the  rapidity  with  which  it  has  been 
effected,  is  to  be  sought  in  the  policy  of  the 
Board  in  carrying  their  views,  and  those  of 


A  Christian  Educator  85 

the  Legislature,  to  the  very  doors  of  the 
people,  by  the  living  voice  of  men  appointed 
for  the  purpose.  .  .  .  The  effect  of  a  plan 
of  operations  so  carefully  laid,  and  so  well 
executed,  has  been  most  gratifying.  Watch- 
ful observers  have  not  failed  to  perceive  that 
to  it  we  are  mainly  indebted  for  the  newly- 
awakened  interest  and  activity  manifested  in 
places  that  were  slumbering  in  indifference 
and  inactivity  but  a  few  years  ago,  and  for 
that  general  tide  of  enlightened  public  senti- 
ment on  education  which  is  now  seen  flowing 
over  nearly  every  portion  of  the  Common- 
wealth.'' 

In  his  Report  for  1856,  Doctor  Sears  dis- 
cusses with  great  thoroughness  the  obstacles 
to  perfect  success  in  public-school  education ; 
such  as  the  indulgence  of  unreasonable  hopes ; 
the  danger  of  overlooking  the  limitations  of 
the  teacher's  power,  limitations  in  himself  and 
in  the  fact  that  only  a  part  of  education  belongs 
to  the  school-room ;  in  the  presence  of  a  for- 
eign race  of  men ;  in  their  demoralizing  influ- 
ence ;  in  the  rush  of  young  people  from  the 


86  Barnas  Sears 

country  into  the  city;  in  the  low  tone  of 
morals  often  prevalent ;  and  in  the  equivocal 
character  of  much  of  the  reading  and  of  the 
public  amusements  in  which  the  children  of 
the  present  age  share  with  others.  He  then 
suggests  antidotes  to  the  evils  described. 
Near  the  close  of  this  very  able  report,  he 
says :  "  A  child  ought  to  be  taught  to  regulate 
his  actions  by  the  will  of  God.  In  one  respect 
the  teacher  and  pupil  ought  to  stand  on  a 
level  with  each  other,  both  bowing  to  the  will 
of  their  Maker,  and  performing  their  respec- 
tive duties  to  each  other  out  of  regard  to  His 
authority.  A  school  should  be  led  to  view 
itself  as  under  the  inspection  of  an  All-seeing 
Witness,  and  each  member  to  hold  himself 
accountable  to  Him  for  the  spirit  and  charac- 
ter of  his  deportment.  Let  these  compre- 
hensive principles  be  kept  before  the  mind, 
and  they  will  have  a  weight  of  authority 
which  every  one  will  feel.  There  will  be  a 
sense  of  obligation  lying  back  of  the  teacher*s 
rules,  making  it  the  easier  for  him  to  require 
of  pupils  the  performance  of  their  duties  from 


A  Christian  Educator  87 

the  fact  that  both  he  and  they  together  are 
accountable  to  a  higher  being.  In  this  way 
the  moral  natures  of  children  are  called  into 
action.  The  conscience  has  its  part  to  act. 
A  line  is  dropped  which  sounds  the  heart  to 
its  lowest  depths.  Character  thus  formed 
has  strength  and  firmness.  Its  roots  strike 
deep  and  spread  in  every  direction,  giving  a 
vigorous  growth  to  its  trunk  and  waving 
branches,  and  holding  them  firmly  in  their 
true  position.'' 

The  particular  objects  which  Doctor  Sears 
sought  to  accomplish  were  three :  (i)  A  change 
in  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth  by  which 
the  control  of  common  schools  should  be  put 
into  the  hands  of  towns,  instead  of  being  left 
in  the  hands  of  small  districts  that  contrib- 
uted a  part  of  the  expense,  selected  teachers, 
and  fixed  the  amount  of  schooling  for  their 
children.  The  town-system  puts  all  this  in 
the  hands  of  a  suitable  board  of  committee- 
men appointed  by  the  whole  town,  while 
all  charges  are  paid  by  the  town  or  State. 
(2)  An  improvement  in  the  qualifications  of 


88  Barnas  Sears 

teachers  for  their  work.  To  effect  this,  Nor- 
mal Schools  were  supported  by  the  State,  and 
the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  making  them  as 
efficient  as  possible.  In  this  part  of  his  work, 
Doctor  Sears  felt  a  deep  interest  and  was  suc- 
cessful. (3)  A  further  improvement  of  ex- 
perienced teachers  by  means  of  yearly 
Institutes  in  different  parts  of  the  State. 
These  Institutes  aimed  to  quicken  the  zeal 
and  enlarge  the  knowledge  of  teachers. 
Doctor  Sears  made  it  a  point  to  have  able 
and  progressive  lecturers  associated  with 
himself  in  the  conduct  of  these  Institutes, 
and  he  also,  by  his  own  appeals,  sought  to 
make  teachers  magnify  their  calling  and  seek 
with  supreme  endeavor  the  building  up  of 
moral  character  in  their  pupils.  The  end  of 
education  was,  in  his  judgment,  two-fold :  the 
formation  of  character  and  the  attainment  of 
power  to  serve  mankind.  These  objects  he 
sought  with  very  great  enthusiasm,  discre- 
tion, and  success.  The  field  was  large,  the 
task  was  difficult,  and  the  results  cheering. 


A  Christian  Educator  8g 

Some  of  his  pupils  in  theology  have  ex- 
pressed their  regret  that  he  published  so  few 
books,  that  the  amount  of  his  writing  in 
official  correspondence  and-  annual  reports 
consumed  so  much  of  his  time  that  he  had 
none  left  for  book-making.  But  the  tablets 
on  which  he  wrote  during  many  of  his  busy 
years  were  the  souls  of  young  men  and  women 
who  were  in  turn  transmitting  his  influence 
to  the  souls  of  children  in  the  Common- 
wealth. And  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  could 
have  reached  a  greater  number  with  his 
beneficent  impulses  in  any  other  way.  Vig- 
orous as  was  his  pen,  and  clear  as  were  the 
thoughts  expressed  by  it,  his  living  presence 
and  voice  were  more  powerful  than  his  words 
on  the  printed  page.  No  doubt  he  believed 
this.  No  doubt  he  remembered  the  example 
of  Socrates,  and  of  the  divine  Man  who  was 
a  far  greater  teacher  than  the  Grecian  sage. 
Indeed,  a  true  man  is  almost  always  greater 
than  his  books.  To  hear  and  to  see  him  at 
close  range  are  better  than  to  read  his  choic- 
est thoughts  in  print.    If  there  are  exceptions 


90  Barnas  Sears 

to  this  rule,  it  must  be  in  cases  where  one 
is  slow  of  speech  or  too  diffident  to  be  his 
true  self  in  the  presence  of  others.  Horace 
Mann  was  a  specially  powerful  writer,  and 
may,  perhaps,  have  been  one  of  the  few  who 
can  move  men  as  deeply  by  writing  as  by 
speaking,  even  though  his  presence  arrested 
attention  and  his  self-respect  overcame  diffi- 
dence. But  Doctor  Sears  could  master  a 
subject  without  the  use  of  a  pen.  His  un- 
written speech  was  equal  in  pith  and  sub- 
stance to  that  which  was  written.  And 
gladly  as  all  of  us  would  have  welcomed  a 
history  of  the  Lutheran  Reformation,  or  of 
the  German  Anabaptists,  from  his  pen,  it  is 
by  no  means  certain  that  he  could  have  pre- 
pared such  a  work  without  neglecting  more 
useful  labors.  Providence  beckoned,  and  he 
followed,  as  should  always  be  the  case. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PRESIDENCY    OF   BROWN    UNIVERSITY 
1855-1867 

Doctor  Sears  enjoyed  his  relation  to  the 
State,  to  the  Board  of  Education,  and  to  the 
teachers  of  Massachusetts.  He  thought  of 
leaving  his  post  as  Secretary  only  when  the 
Presidency  of  Brown  University  was  offered 
him.  The  writer  recalls  with  distinctness  a 
conversation  on  this  matter.  Doctor  Sears 
had  been  assured  that,  with  his  own  consent, 
his  name  would  be  laid  before  the  corpora- 
tion as  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  president, 
and  that,  if  so,  he  would  be  without  doubt 
elected.  He  was  now  balancing  in  his  mind 
the  opportunities  for  usefulness  in  the  two 
positions,  and,  though  personal  considera- 
tions appeared  to  be  wholly  secondary,  he 
took  occasion  to  express  very  strongly  the 
91 


92  Barnas  Sears 

satisfaction  which  he  had  had  in  his  work  for 
education  in  the  Old  Bay  State,  and  the  re- 
gret he  would  feel  at  sundering  his  connec- 
tion with  his  Massachusetts  friends  and 
co-laborers.  Nevertheless,  the  opening  at 
Providence  seemed  to  him  a  call  from  God 
to  serve  the  cause  of  Christian  education  in 
a  different  sphere,  and  he  was  making  up  his 
mind  to  obey  that  call.  With  singular  clear- 
ness he  summarized  the  reasons  for  abiding 
at  his  post  in  Massachusetts,  and,  over 
against  these,  the  reasons  for  going  to  Provi- 
dence and  putting  his  matured  strength  into 
the  lives  of  young  men  who  were  qualifying 
themselves  for  public  service.  He  was  in  the 
midst  of  his  days, — fifty-three  years  of  age, — 
and  as  ftill  of  hope  and  enthusiasm  as  he  was 
twenty  years  before.  There  was  evidently 
in  his  heart  a  deep  longing  to  be  at  work 
directly  for  young  men.  And  so,  as  I  clearly 
perceived,  the  balances  of  his  judgment  in- 
clined towards  the  new  field.  He  had  been 
my  teacher  or  neighbor  and  friend  in  Newton 
Center  ten  years,  and  it  was  not  in  my  power 


A  Christian  Educator  93 

to  think  of  his  removal  to  another  State  with- 
out regret;  but,  as  usual,  his  statement  of 
the  case  brought  my  judgment  into  accord 
with  his  own,  and  I  was  ready  to  bid  him 
God-speed  as  he  prepared  to  leave  his  de- 
lightful home  in  Newton  Center  for  the 
President's  house  on  College  Street,  Provi- 
dence. 

But  what  was  his  success  in  the  new  sta- 
tion? How  did  he  prosper  in  dealing  with 
undergraduates  and  with  the  overseers  of 
this  ancient  school?  In  answer  to  a  note  of 
inquiry,  the  following  letter  from  Doctor 
Albert  Harkness  was  received: 

"  Providence,  Sept.  28,  1901. 
**My  Dear  Doctor  Hovey: 

''  Your  letter  came  during  my  absence  from 
the  city,  and  it  has  followed  me  from  place 
to  place  until  I  fear  my  answer  can  be  of  no 
use  to  you. 

*'I  assume  that  you  wish  only  a  few  gen- 
eral hints  that  may  aid  you  in  completing 
your  estimate  of  Doctor  Sears.     You  are 


94  Barnas  Sears 

doubtless  aware  that  he  came  very  near 
being  my  ideal  of  a  college  president.  He 
administered  the  affairs  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity according  to  the  charter,  and,  as  I  be- 
lieve, faithfully  and  wisely.  He  was  a  ripe 
scholar  and  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  by 
his  personal  character  and  attainments  ex- 
erted a  powerful  influence  for  good,  not  only 
upon  the  students,  but  also  upon  the  profes- 
sors. We  all  saw  that  he  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  College,  and  that  he  gave  his 
best  thought  and  his  most  earnest  endeavors 
to  its  welfare.  He  was  the  best  President  to 
work  with  that  I  have  ever  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  know.  He  encouraged  all  depart- 
ments while  he  left  all  the  professors  free  to 
adopt  methods  suited  to  their  tastes  and 
genius,  believing  that  thus  the  best  results 
would  be  reached. 

**  Unfortunately  the  administration  of  Doc- 
tor Sears  covered  the  period  of  our  Civil  War, 
when  it  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  do  much 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  College.  But 
Doctor  Sears  was  not  only  a  wise  and  efficient 


THE  REV.  BARNAS  SEARS,  D.D.,  ABOUT  1861 
(At  Brown  University  as  President) 


A  Christian  Educator  95 

president,  but  an  accomplished  and  faithful 
professor.  He  was  an  inspiring  teacher,  and 
he  taught  the  students  to  think  for  them- 
selves. If  these  hasty  lines  can  be  of  any 
service  to  you,  I  shall  be  very  glad.  Should 
you  wish  anything  more,  kindly  inform  me. 
I  am  glad,  dear  Doctor  Hovey,  that  you  have 
undertaken  this  pleasant  task,  as  I  know  you 
understand  and  appreciate  the  character  and 
worth  of  Doctor  Sears,  whose  memory  I 
cherish  with  grateful  affection. 

**With  kind  regards  and  best  wishes  for 
you  and  yours,  I  am  as  ever  your  friend, 
'*  Albert  Harkness." 

To  this  discriminating  letter  may  be 
added  a  few  paragraphs  from  the  remarks  of 
Professor  John  L.  Lincoln,  at  the  funeral  of 
Doctor  Sears  in  Brookline,  Mass. : 

*'It  is  just  twenty-five  years  this  summer 
since  Doctor  Sears  was  called  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  University,  an  office  made  vacant 
by  the  unexpected  resignation  of  the  late 
Doctor  Wayland.     Just    thirty    years    had 


96  Barnas  Sears 

passed  away  since  Doctor  Sears  had  left  the 
college  as  a  student.  ...  He  was,  then,  just 
past  fifty  years  of  age,  and  so  was  in  the  full 
vigor  of  his  manhood,  in  the  full  maturity  of 
all  his  powers — so  fine  in  themselves  and  so 
well  developed  by  long  study  and  discipline, 
in  the  ripeness  of  his  fame  as  an  educator  and 
as  a  leader  in  education.  But  all  these 
resources  of  his,  which  were  so  ample,  he 
needed,  and  all  these  powers  of  his  he  needed, 
at  their  greatest  and  their  best,  and  none 
felt  it  more  than  himself;  for  he  was  called 
to  fill  the  post  which  had  been  held  for 
twenty-five  years  by  Doctor  Wayland,  so  hon- 
ored for  his  character  and  for  his  standing  as 
an  educator  second,  perhaps,  to  none  in  our 
whole  country.  But  he  was  called  to  the 
place,  as  some  of  you  know,  by  the  unani- 
mous choice  of  the  guardians  of  the  college, 
who  felt  more  deeply  than  anybody  else 
could  feel  the  great  void  in  the  college 
which  he  was  called  to  fill.  But  that  unan- 
imity of  choice,  so  cordially  responded  to  by 
the  faculty,  and  by  the  graduates  and  friends 


A  Christian  Educator  97 

of  the  college,  seemed  a  bright  augury  of  the 
success  of  his  administration.  And  how  well 
did  the  issue  answer  to  that  bright  augury! 
How  well,  how  nobly  he  achieved  that  task 
which  was  then  devolved  upon  him !  I  think 
we  must  all  see — ^those  of  us  most  conversant 
with  the  affairs  of  the  college  can  certainly 
see — ^that  he  administered  the  great  trusts 
confided  to  him  with  an  enthusiastic  devo- 
tion to  religion,  education,  and  learning 
which  had  been  so  dear  to  the  founders  of 
the  college  and  to  its  subsequent  benefactors 
and  friends,  with  a  true  and  loyal  love  to  the 
place  of  his  education,  and  with  the  sense  of 
duty  and  responsibility  which  belonged  to 
him  then  and  always  as  a  Christian  man.  I 
remember  .  .  .  difficulties  which  he  had 
to  encounter,  trials  which  he  had  to  endure, 
incident  to  a  post  of  such  complex  relations 
and  duties,  but  he  surmounted  or  passed 
through  them  all  with  patience  and  skill. 

**Let  me  say  a  word  as  I  recall  his  rela- 
tions to  the  college  circle,  to  his  undergradu- 
ate pupils.     I  think  I  may  say  that  of  all  who 


98  Barnas  Sears 

have  administered  the  affairs  of  the  college  in 
the  place  of  chief  and  guide,  no  one  was  more 
highly  esteemed,  and  certainly  no  one  was 
more  truly  loved,  by  all  the  pupils  than 
President  Sears.  I  well  remember  how  he 
gained  their  admiration  by  the  ample  stores 
of  knowledge  which  he  had  at  such  ready 
command,  and  which  he  made  so  accessible 
to  them  for  their  assistance  and  their  im- 
provement; how  he  impressed  them  with 
perfect  respect  for  his  love  of  truth  and  en- 
thusiastic pursuit  of  it,  for  the  habits  of  per- 
sonal investigation  which  he  formed  in  them, 
and  for  the  reverence  which  he  inspired  in 
them  for  true  wisdom  and  that  fear  of  God 
which  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  with  faith 
in  Christ  as  the  Redeemer  of  the  world.  I 
am  sure  that  all  his  pupils  .  .  .  were  im- 
pressed by  the  soundness  of  his  judgment 
and  the  vigor  of  his  devotion.  .  .  .  But  I 
think  that  he  bound  them  to  him  most  of  all 
by  personal,  by  filial  ties  of  affection  that 
were  firm  as  steel  and  precious  as  gold.  .  .  . 
By  the  love  for  them  which  shone  out  from 


A  Christian  Educator  99 

all  his  conduct  .  .  .  there  ever  went  forth 
a  virtue  which  had  in  it  for  them,  and  for 
them  all,  everything  beloved  and  blessed 
and  pure.  ...  I  spoke  of  the  coming  of 
Doctor  Sears  to  our  college,  full  as  it  was  with 
life  and  with  promise.  .  .  .  But  I  remem- 
ber also  his  departure,  after  those  twelve 
years  of  service,  when  that  promise  had  been 
proudly  and  amply  fulfilled,  and  we  felt  what 
a  loss  it  was  that  we  had  sustained — a  loss 
that  could  hardly  be  made  good  to  us.  Yet 
there  was  something  of  consolation  in  the 
confidence  we  had  in  the  high  esteem  enter- 
tained for  him  without  the  walls  of  the  col- 
lege, since  he  was  judged  by  the  Trustees  of 
the  Peabody  Fund  to  be  the  man  best  of  all 
fitted  to  administer  that  grand  trust  for  a 
great  educational  enterprise.'' 

It  will  also  be  in  place  to  hear  the  testi- 
mony of  one  or  two  who  were  under  his  in- 
struction in  Brown  University: 

**  I  was  under  Doctor  Sears's  instruction  in 
my  senior  year  (1860-1),"  writes  Doctor  Bur- 
rage.  "  The  studies  were  philosophy,  the  history 


loo  Barnas  Sears 

of  philosophy,  and  the  evidences  of  Christian- 
ity. In  the  first  two  Doctor  Sears  used 
text-books,  viz.,  Haven's  ''Intellectual  Phi- 
losophy" and  Schwegler's  ''  History  of  Philos- 
ophy." Not  much  time,  however,  was  given 
to  the  recitations  of  the  text  of  the  lesson.  A 
large  part  of  the  hour  was  occupied  by  Doctor 
Sears  himself  in  explanation  and  illustration  of 
the  text.  The  wealth  of  his  learning  impressed 
us  all.  His  mind  was  a  great  storehouse 
from  which  he  drew  abundantly.  Doubt- 
less the  average  college  student  received  in 
Doctor  Sears's  recitation  room  little  beyond 
what  is  derived  from  a  noble  personality.  I 
cannot  but  believe,  however,  that  to  sit  in 
the  presence  of  such  a  man  an  hour  a  day, 
four  days  in  a  week,  for  a  college  year,  means 
much  to  any  student.  A  bright  scholar, 
prepared  by  aptitude  and  study  to  profit  by 
the  instruction  of  Doctor  Sears,  found  not 
only  enjoyment  in  his  classes,  but  great  in- 
tellectual stimulus.  The  instruction  in  the 
evidences  of  Christianity  was -by  lectures,  and 
here,  as  it  seemed  to  me.  Doctor  Sears  was  at 


A  Christian  Educator        loi 

his  best.  The  lectures  were  dictated,  and  I 
have  often  had  occasion  to  consult  them  since 
my  college  days.  Here  also  he  gave  us  much 
more  than  the  text  of  his  lectures.  He  was 
thoroughly  familiar  with  what  the  best 
scholars  in  Europe  had  said  and  were  saying 
in  reference  to  Christianity ;  and  his  aim  was 
to  make  us  also  familiar  with  it.  My  obliga- 
tions to  Doctor  Sears  at  the  time  I  gratefully 
acknowledged,  and  I  shall  be  grateful  to  him 
as  long  as  I  live. 

'*In  the  first  part  of  my  senior  year  the 
Civil  War  was  approaching,  and  my  college 
days  ended  in  the  beginnings  of  the  great 
conflict.  With  lessons  concerning  philosophy 
and  religion,  Doctor  Sears  mingled  many  a 
lesson  of  patriotism  and  duty.  As  young 
men  we  were  made  to  feel  that  we  were  living 
in  a  great  crisis  of  the  nation's  history,  when 
the  requirements  of  patriotism  and  duty 
should  be  conscientiously  considered.  If  we 
should  have  a  part  in  the  war,  we  knew  we 
would  have  Doctor  Sears's  approval  and 
benediction.  H.  S.  Burrage." 


I02  Barnas  Sears 

*'  Dear  Doctor  Hovey, — I  enclose  Doctor 
Burrage's  reminiscences  of  President  Sears, 
and  add  a  few  words  of  my  own.  Our  class, 
that  of  '66,  pursued  nearly  the  same  studies 
as  Doctor  Burrage's  class,  with  the  addition 
of  German;  but  with  us  he  made  no  use  of 
text-books,  except  in  grammar.  In  philos- 
ophy and  related  subjects  he  dictated  to  us 
lectures  he  had  himself  prepared.  He 
seemed  to  care  very  little,  however,  about 
our  remembering  even  the  substance  of  them. 
Some  professors  appreciate  a  student's  efforts 
in  the  exact  proportion  in  which  their  own 
words  are  reproduced.  If  Doctor  Sears  ever 
took  any  note  of  a  student's  daily  work, — 
and  we  could  never  perceive  that  he  did, — 
he  measured  us  by  an  entirely  different 
standard.  A  parrot-like  repetition  of  his  lec- 
tures would  have  given  him  but  little  pleas- 
ure. On  one  occasion  he  remarked:  '/  do 
not  care  to  have  you  remember  what  I  say;  I 
am  simply  anxious  to  teach  you  how  to  think. 
If  you  learn  that,  you  may  burn  my  lectures  if 
you  will,'     With  such  a  teacher  I  can  imag- 


A  Christian  Educator         103 

ine  some  students  would  not  be  over-well 
pleased.  Those  who  sought  the  class-room 
in  order  to  be  thoroughly  drilled-into  some 
definite  scheme  of  philosophy,  probably  went 
away  from  Doctor  Sears,  grumbling  that 
they  had  gotten  nothing.  But  some  of  us 
certainly  found  him  the  most  inspiring  of 
college  teachers.  He  awakened  and  stimu- 
lated us  by  his  own  example  of  noble  think- 
ing. At  the  same  time  it  has  always  seemed 
to  me  that  Doctor  Sears  was  at  his  best  in 
those  Hnes  of  study  that  appealed  to  his  lit- 
erary tastes.  It  was  when  he  talked  of  art 
and  literature  and  life  that  he  revealed  most 
clearly  his  own  lofty  ideals  and  pure  and 
noble  tastes.  My  remembrance  of  him  as  a 
teacher  of  German  literature  brings  back 
hours  of  keenest  enjoyment.  His  success  in 
this  line  leads  me  to  believe  that  he  would 
have  been  a  beau-ideal  teacher  of  the  classics, 
and  to  wish  that  I  might  have  had  the  privi- 
lege of  reading  Homer  or  Plato  under  his 
guidance. 

**  In  his  personal  relation  with  the  students 


I04  Barnas  Sears 

he  was  most  successful  in  winning  their  deep- 
est and  most  loyal  attachment.  I  don't  be- 
lieve a  student  in  Brown  in  my  days  could 
have  been  insolent  to  Doctor  Sears.  If  one 
had  dared  to  be,  the  entire  college  would  have 
frowned  on  the  offender.  I  have  heard  men 
who  were  under  Doctor  Sears  complain  since 
leaving  college  of  something  lacking  as  a 
teacher  in  him,  but  in  my  college  days  I 
never  heard  a  word  from  any  source  that  did 
not  express  the  highest  appreciation  both  of 
his  character  and  attainments.  In  my  mem- 
ory he  stands  among  the  teachers  of  my 
youth,  equalled  by  few,  surpassed  by  none. 

''J.   B.   GOUGH   PiDGE.'' 

The  Rev.  Albert  H.  Plumb,  D.D.,  of  Rox- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  writes  in  the  following 
strain: 

*'  I  went  to  Providence  during  a  six-weeks' 
spring  vacation  at  Andover  Seminary,  and 
took  notes  of  Doctor  Sears's  lectures  on  Chris- 
tian Evidences  and  of  his  remarks  on  Doc- 
tor Wayland's  '*  Moral  Philosophy,''  in  1856. 


A  Christian  Educator         105 

He  impressed  me  as  a  very  learned  man, 
widely  read,  and  profound  in  his  philosophi- 
cal thinking,  wonderfully  rich,  too,  in  his 
illustrative  comments  and  practical  applica- 
tions of  principles  in  the  formation  of  correct 
judgments  and  in  the  guidance  of  conduct. 
I  have  found  stimulus  as  well  as  instruction 
whenever  I  have  taken  down  my  notes  of  his 
teaching.  His  replies  to  the  questions  and 
objections  of  students  showed  tact  and  power. 
**  In  the  spring  of  1857  I  was  in  Providence 
again,  and  I  remember  distinctly  a  remark- 
able scene  in  the  First  Baptist  Church.  The 
church  was  filled  at  one  of  those  memorable 
men's  prayer  meetings,  perhaps  at  the  noon 
hour  on  week  days,  which  characterized  the 
great  revivals  through  the  country  that  year. 
Doctor  Sears  arose,  evidently  much  moved, 
and,  as  I  recall  his  statements,  said  that  he 
had  a  little  time  previous  written  to  his  son 
in  business  in  New  York,  telling  him  of  the 
deep  religious  interest,  and  urging  him  to 
leave  his  business  and  come  on  to  Providence 
to  attend  the  meetings  and  seek  salvation. 


io6  Barnas  Sears 

His  son  came,  and  Doctor  Sears  said:  *He 
has  just  returned  to  his  home  rejoicing  in  a 
hope  in  Christ.'     He  added: 

*  Let  sinners  learn  to  pray, 

Let  saints  keep  near  the  throne; 
Our  help  in  times  of  deep  distress 
Is  found  in  God  alone/  " 

It  has  been  said,  with  great  propriety,  that 
**as  President  of  Brown  University  he  was 
distinguished  for  politeness  and  courtesy  to 
the  young  men  under  his  care.  More  than 
one  wild,  reckless  student  has  been  heard  to 
say  that  there  was  no  fun  in  trying  to  '  get  a 
rise'  on  their  *Prex.',  for  he  was  so  sincerely 
respectful  that  it  made  all  their  efiforts  fall 
flat  to  the  ground.  Even  in  the  sarcastic  and 
impudently  witty  Mock  Programme  issued 
on  class  days,  their  loved  President  was 
spoken  of  as  '  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar,'  and 
never  was  his  dignified  and  stately  presence 
brought  down  to  ridicule,  even  by  the  most 
daring  ring-leader  in  rowdyism.  *  He  treated 
me  as  though  I  was  a  Senior,'  explained  an 
apprehensive  Freshman,  after  a  summons  to 


A  Christian  Educator         107 

Doctor  Sears's  study,  '  and  the  first  thing  he 
did  was  to  offer  me  a  chair.' " 

If  it  be  asked,  What  did  he  accompHsh 
during  his  presidency  of  Brown?  the  answer 
may  be  given  in  the  words  of  Doctor  Guild, 
the  hbrarian  of  the  college:  ''During  his  ad- 
ministration the  faculties  for  instruction  were 
increased;  an  elegant  and  well-appointed 
laboratory  for  the  department  of  analytical 
chemistry  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  lib- 
eral-minded citizens  of  Providence ;  a  system 
of  scholarships  for  meritorious  and  indigent 
students  was  inaugurated ;  the  Bowen  estate, 
so  called,  on  the  corner  of  George  and  Pros- 
pect Streets,  through  the  munificence  of  a 
member  of  the  corporation,  was  added  to 
the  college  green ;  the  institution  was  brought 
into  harmonious  relations  with  the  govern- 
ment of  the  city  and  State  by  liberal  conces- 
sions in  the  matter  of  taxation;  a  debt  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  was  extin- 
guished, and  large  additions  were  made  to 
the  college  funds." 

Brief  reference  may  here  be  made  to  the 


io8  Barnas  Sears 

discourse  of  Doctor  Sears  at  the  Centennial 
Celebration  of  Brown  University  in  1864.  It 
was  an  able  historical  retrospect,  afterwards 
published ;  but  its  account  of  certain  events 
connected  with  the  origin  of  the  College  Char- 
ter did  not  escape  censure.  It  was  felt  to  be 
partisan  by  some  liberal  supporters  of  the 
college,  although  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
its  author  had  any  but  friendly  feelings 
towards  Christians  of  every  name,  or  that  he 
intended  the  slightest  injustice  to  the  mem- 
ory of  any  man.  He  was  himself  too  good  a 
historian  to  believe  in  misrepresentation,  if 
there  was  any  opportunity  for  it,  and  it  may 
be  doubted  whether  there  was  any  motive 
for  it  in  the  instance  referred  to. 

But  the  great  work  of  Doctor  Sears  during 
his  presidency  was  with  and  for  the  under- 
graduates. It  was  strictly  educational,  aim- 
ing to  secure  the  development  of  the  whole 
man  on  lines  of  beauty  and  power.  Neither 
the  moral  nor  the  religious  nature  was  over- 
looked. Reason,  conscience,  and  will  were 
deemed  of  no  less  worth  than  memory  and 


A  Christian  Educator         109 

learning.  Character  was  glorified  far  more 
than  reputation.  It  was  the  aim  of  Doctor 
Sears  to  inspire  the  men  under  his  care  with 
a  love  of  goodness  and  truth,  more  intense 
and  controlHng  than  their  love  of  greatness. 
And  his  influence  over  them  was  ideally 
powerful  and  wholesome.  If  he  did  not 
make  them  all  better  men,  more  scholarly, 
more  thoughtful,  more  conscientious,  more 
self -forgetful,  more  courteous,  more  humane, 
more  hopeful,  and  more  useful,  than  they 
were  when  they  came  under  his  influence,  it 
must  have  been  because  of  their  being  already 
''joined  to  their  idols''  and  given  over  to  '*a 
reprobate  mind.''  Some  there  are  in  our 
schools  of  learning  who  may  not  unjustly  be 
thus  characterized,  and  no  educator  should 
be  held  responsible  for  their  persistence  in 
evil  ways.  But  they  are  rare  in  schools  ad- 
ministered by  men  of  the  caliber  and  spirit 
of  Doctor  Sears. 


CHAPTER  VII 

GENERAL     AGENT     OF     THE    PEABODY 
EDUCATION    FUND 

1867-1880 

"To  be  quite  clear  what  one  ought  to  do,  and  have  little 
or  no  choice,  is  one  of  the  essentials  of  happiness.'' 

B.  Sears,  in  Diary. 

In  the  year  1867,  Doctor  Sears  was  called 
to  a  very  diflferent,  though  no  less  responsible 
post — that  of  Secretary  or  General  Agent  of 
the  Trustees  of  the  well-known  Peabody 
Fund.  That  important  fund  for  the  promo- 
tion of  education  in  the  Southern  States  was 
created  by  the  following  letter  of  George  Pea- 
body,  a  native  of  Danvers,  Massachusetts, 
part  of  which  is  now  Peabody,  but  long  a 
resident  in  London,  England : 

''To  Hon.  .Robert  C.  Winthrop,  of  Massa- 
chusetts ;  Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  of  New 
York ;  Right  Rev^  Charles  P.  Mcllvaine, 
of  Ohio;  General  U.  S.  Grant,  of  the  United 


A  Christian  Educator         1 1 1 

States  Army;  Hon.  William  C.  Rives,  of 
Virginia;  Hon.  John  H.  Clifford,  of  Massa- 
chusetts; Hon.  William  Aiken,  of  South 
Carolina;  William  M.  Evarts,  Esq.,  of  New 
York;  Hon.  William  A.  Graham,  of  North 
Carolina;  Charles  Macalester,  Esq.,  of  Penn- 
sylvania; George  W.  Riggs,  Esq.,  of  Wash- 
ington; Samuel  Wetmore,  Esq.,  of  New 
York;  Edward  A.  Bradford,  Esq.,  of  Mary- 
land; and  George  Peabody  Russell,  Esq., 
of  Massachusetts: — I  give  to  you,  gentle- 
men, the  sum  of  one  million  of  dollars,  to 
be  by  you  and  your  successors  held  in  trust, 
and  the  income  thereof  used  and  applied  at 
your  discretion  for  the  intellectual,  moral, 
or  industrial  education  among  the  young  of 
the  more  destitute  portions  of  the  Southern 
and  Southwestern  States  of  our  Union;  my 
purpose  being  that  the  benefits  intended  shall 
be  distributed  among  the  entire  population, 
without  other  distinction  than  their  needs 
and  the  opportunities  of  usefulness  to  them. 
**  Besides  the  income  thus  devised  I  give 
to  you  permission  to  use  from  the  principal 


112  Barnas  Sears 

sum,  within  the  next  two  years,  an  amount 
not  exceeding  forty  per  cent. 

''In  addition  to  this  gift  I  place  in  your 
hands  bonds  of  the  State  of  Mississippi, 
issued  to  the  Planters  Bank,  amounting,  with 
interest,  to  about  eleven  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  the  amount  realized  by  you  from 
which  is  to  be  added  to  and  used  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Trust.  The  validity  of  these 
bonds  has  never  been  questioned. 

**The  details  and  organization  of  the 
Trust  I  leave  with  you,  only  requesting  that 
Mr.  Winthrop  be  chairman,  and  Gov.  Fish 
and  Bishop  Mcllvaine  vice-chairmen  of  your 
body;  and  I  give  you  power  to  make  all 
necessary  by-laws  and  regulations ;  to  obtain 
an  Act  of  Incorporation  if  any  shall  be  neces- 
sary. All  vacancies,  occurring  in  your  num- 
ber by  death,  resignation,  or  otherwise,  shall 
be  filled  by  your  election  as  soon  as  con- 
veniently may  be,  and  having  in  view  an 
equality  of  representation  so  far  as  regards 
the  Northern  and  Southern  States. 

''George  Peabody. 

''Washington,  Feb.  7,  1867.'* 


A  Christian  Educator         113 

In  further  explanation  of  his  purpose,  he 
wrote:  ''What  I  desire  is  to  aid  in  giving 
elementary  education  to  the  children  of  the 
common  people.'*  It  appears  that  Mr.  Win- 
throp  had  conversed  with  Doctor  Sears  at 
the  old  Wednesday  Evening  Club  of  Boston 
concerning  the  execution  of  the  Trust,  and 
that  this  conversation  led  to  a  request  by 
him  that  Doctor  Sears  would  state  his  views 
in  writing.  Thinking  of  the  matter  over 
night,  he  gave  his  consent  the  next  morning 
to  do  this,  and  the  following  day  brought 
this  letter  to  Mr.  Winthrop: 

**  Providence,  March  14,  1867. 

''  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop  :  At  your  re- 
quest, I  give  you  such  thoughts  as  have 
occurred  to  my  mind,  in  the  brief  time  that 
has  intervened  since  I  saw  you,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  use  that  it  is  expedient  to  make 
of  the  Fund  which  Mr.  Peabody  has  placed 
at  your  disposal. 

'*i.  Too  much  importance  cannot  be  at- 
tached to  the  policy  and  measures  that  shall 

8 


114  Barnas  Sears 

be  adopted.  Besides  the  care  that  can  be 
bestowed  on  the  subject  by  the  Trustees, 
who,  it  is  supposed,  can  give  but  a  Hmited 
amount  of  their  time  to  it,  I  think,  with  you, 
that  it  is  desirable  to  have  an  executive 
officer,  a  superintendent,  who  can  compre- 
hend the  whole  subject,  and  work  whatever 
machinery  is  necessary  with  unity  of  design 
and  with  effectiveness. 

**2.  As  to  plans  and  methods,  much  is  to 
be  created.  We  have  nothing  exactly  like 
what  is  to  be  undertaken.  There  are  no 
examples  before  you.  There  has  been  no 
experience  directly  in  this  line  of  action. 
Much  must  come  by  time  and  by  actual  trial. 
Principles  may  be  laid  down,  but  there  must 
be  room  for  variations  in  details. 

**3.  There  are  two  general  methods  to  be 
considered :  the  one  is  that  of  originating  and 
carrying  on  a  system  of  schools.  The  other 
is  that  of  disbursing  funds  in  aid  of  others 
who  shall  have  the  schools  in  charge.  The 
former  method  would  require  an  extensive 
system  of  agencies.     Work  will  not  go  on 


A  Christian  Educator         115 

well,  without  an  ever-present  and  active 
superintendence  and  vigilance  to  prevent  and 
correct  abuses  arising  from  negligence  or  self- 
ishness. The  latter  is  simpler,  easier,  and 
attended  with  fewer  risks. 

''Now,  if  time  shall  show  that  the  two 
methods  must  be,  to  some  extent,  combined, 
it  would  seem  to  be  safer  and  more  conven- 
ient to  begin  with  the  second,  as  the  transi- 
tion to  the  first  could  be  made  without 
trouble  and  to  any  extent,  whenever  it 
should  seem  expedient.  Any  change  in  the 
other  direction  would  be  more  difficult,  as 
the  first  method  commits  one  largely  to  the 
future. 

''4.  I  should  think  it  might  be  as  well  to 
begin  with  a  single  agent,  whose  first  busi- 
ness it  should  be  to  furnish  aid  where  it  is 
most  needed,  in  strengthening  and  resusci- 
tating schools,  and,  perhaps,  aiding  others 
to  open  new  ones.  For  a  time  he  might  find 
judicious  and  active  friends  of  education, 
who,  in  different  localities,  would  gladly  ren- 
der him  the  aid  he  shall  need.     Thus  he 


ii6  Barnas  Sears 

would  soon,  as  he  proceeds,  learn  not  only 
what  kind  and  amount  of  help  is  needed,  but 
he  could  come  to  know  the  men  who  could 
best  render  it.  If  it  be  necessary  to  have 
local  agents,  this  would,  perhaps,  be  the  best 
way  of  introducing  them. 

''5.  Of  course,  effective  schools,  that  shall 
be  permanent,  is  the  great  desideratum.  This 
is  not  only  the  best  thing  for  the  young,  but 
they  furnish  to  the  people  at  large  the  strong- 
est argument  in  favor  of  popular  education. 
Let  good  schools,  springing  up  on  the  soil, 
growing  out  of  the  wants  of  the  people  and 
meeting  those  wants,  be  sprinkled  all  over 
the  South,  as  examples,  and  be  made  the 
nuclei  for  others,  and  let  them  be  established 
and  controlled,  as  far  as  possible,  by  the 
people  themselves,  and  they  will  in  time 
grow  into  State  systems.  Beside  direct  aid 
in  the  support  of  such  schools,  which  would, 
no  doubt,  be  the  first  work  to  be  done,  there 
are  various  indirect  ways  of  reaching  the 
same  end.  Normal  schools,  especially  for 
training  female   teachers   for  the   primary 


A  Christian  Educator         117 

schools;  higher  education  given  in  the  form 
of  scholarships  to  a  limited  number  of  young 
men  who  should  obligate  themselves  to  teach 
as  long  a  period,  at  least,  as  that  during 
which  they  received  aid,  or  to  refund  the 
money;  encouragement  to  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciations (County  or  State  Associations)  by 
giving  them  fifty  or  a  hundred  dollars  to 
pay  the  lecturers  at  their  meetings ;  aid  to 
Editors  or  Publishers  of  Journals  of  Educa- 
tion for  the  benefit  of  Teachers,  these  might 
be  some  of  the  indirect  methods  to  be 
used. 

''6.  I  state  a  little  more  particularly  here 
some  of  the  objections  to  the  first  plan  men- 
tioned in  No.  3.  There  will  not  only  be  a 
great  amount  of  supervision  and  direction  of 
the  work  on  the  hands  of  the  Trustees  and 
their  agents ;  but  many  official  reports  from 
all  the  schools,  whose  form  must  be  pre- 
scribed, which  must  be  examined,  collated, 
and,  possibly,  printed,  as  is  now  done  by 
Boards  of  Education.  All  this  formidable 
official  procedure  by  a  body  of  men  in  some 


ii8  Barnas  Sears 

sense  foreign  to  the  different  States,  will  only- 
serve  as  a  barrier,  keeping  the  schools  from 
the  public  sympathies.  The  ownership  of  lots 
and  buildings  by  the  Trustees  will  tend  to 
make  the  people  indifferent  or  jealous.  The 
ultimate  transfer  of  such  property  to  the 
towns  and  cities  will  be  an  awkward  business 
to  transact.  The  permanent  care  of  a  large 
number  of  houses,  their  security,  proper 
occupancy  and  repairs,  will  be  troublesome. 
Property  jointly  held  by  the  towns  and  the 
Trustees  would  occasion  still  more  trouble. 
At  the  utmost,  I  should  think,  one  or  two  or 
three  Normal  School  buildings  might  be 
owned  by  the  Trustees.  Even  these  it  might 
be  better  to  induce  the  people  to  build,  and 
then  carry  on  the  school  for  them,  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time,  either  wholly  or  in 
part.  Places  for  other  schools,  especially 
primary  schools,  could  be  obtained  without 
building  or  purchasing  them,  certainly  for 
the  present.  But  on  these  and  other 
similar  points  experience  would  soon  be 
the  best  teacher.     These  are  first  thoughts, 


A  Christian  Educator         119 

which,    for  that    reason,    may   have    little 
value. 

''Very  respectfully  and  sincerely  your  obt. 
servant, 

''B.  Sears.'' 

By  comparing  the  action  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  at  its  first  meeting  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1867,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  followed 
very  closely  the  suggestions  of  this  remark- 
able letter.     For  it  was  resolved : 

'*  I.  That  for  the  present  the  promotion  of 
Primary,  or  Common  School  Education,  by 
such  means  or  agencies  as  now  exist  or  may 
need  to  be  created,  be  the  leading  object  of 
the  Board,  in  the  use  of  the  fund  placed  at 
its  disposal. 

''2.  That  in  aid  of  the  above  general  de- 
sign, and  as  promotive  of  the  same,  the 
Board  will  have  in  view  the  furtherance  of 
Normal  School  Education  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  teachers  as  well  by  the  endowment  of 
Scholarships  in  existing  Southern  institu- 
tions as  by  the  establishing  of  Normal  Schools 
and  the  aiding  of  such  Normal  Schools  as 


I20  Barnas  Sears 

may  now  be  in  operation  in  the  Southern  and 
Southwestern  States,  including  such  meas- 
ures as  may  be  feasible  and  as  experience 
may  show  to  be  expedient,  for  the  promotion 
of  education  in  the  application  of  science  to 
the  industrial  pursuits  of  life. 

'*3.  That  a  General  Agent  of  the  highest 
qualifications  be  appointed  by  the  Board,  to 
whom  shall  be  entrusted,  under  an  Execu- 
tive Committee,  the  whole  charge  of  carrying 
out  the  designs  of  Mr.  Peabody  in  his  great 
gift,  under  such  resolutions  and  instructions 
as  the  Board  shall  from  time  to  time  adopt. 

''4.  That  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sears,  President  of 
Brown  University,  be  appointed  the  General 
Agent  of  the  Board,  upon  such  terms  as  may 
be  arranged  by  the  Finance  Committee. 

**  5.  That  an  Executive  Committee  of  five 
Trustees  be  appointed  by  the  Chairman  at 
each  annual  meeting  of  the  Board,  to  whom 
shall  be  entrusted,  in  connection  with  the 
General  Agent,  the  carrying  out  of  such 
resolutions  and  plans  as  the  Board  shall  from 
time  to  time  adopt. 


A  Christian  Educator         121 

*'6.  That  the  next  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Board  be  held  in  New  York  on  the  third 
Tuesday  in  June,  1868,  and  that  in  the  mean- 
time the  Chairman  be  authorized  to  call 
meetings  at  such  times  and  places  as  the 
Executive  Committee  may  direct.'' 

After  further  discussion,  it  was  resolved: 

*'That  the  Board  will  hold  a  meeting  in 
the  city  of  Richmond  on  the  third  Tuesday 
of  January  next/' 

In  response  to  this  action  of  the  Trustees, 
Doctor  Sears  took  a  little  time  for  further 
consideration  and  consultation.  He  was  de- 
lighted with  his  relations  to  faculty  and  stu- 
dents in  the  University,  and  the  corporation 
was  ready  in  its  support  of  his  measures. 
But  he  was  uncertain  as  to  his  safety  in  the 
climate  of  New  England  during  the  winter 
months,  and  he  believed  there  was  a  wide 
door  of  usefulness  opened  to  him  in  adminis- 
tering the  Peabody  Fund.  As  was  expected 
by  Mr.  Winthrop,  he  decided  ere  long  to 
accept  the  new  position  and  sunder  his  con- 
nection with  the  college  which  he  ardently 


122  Barnas  Sears 

loved.  His  acceptance  was  dated  March  30, 
1867.  The  following  paragraph  from  an 
article  of  Doctor  Heman  Lincoln  emphasizes 
one  of  the  reasons  for  his  decision  :  ''In 
regard  to  the  Peabody  Agency,  the  call  of 
Doctor  Sears  by  Providence  was  as  marked 
as  the  call  of  Moses  or  Samuel.  His  health 
had  been  broken  down  by  the  anxieties  of 
professional  labor  in  Brown  University;  his 
voice  had  failed  and  refused  its  office.  The 
physician's  order  was  imperative  for  a  change 
of  climate,  and  for  rest.  Doctor  Sears  was 
on  the  point  of  asking  from  the  Corporation 
for  a  year's  absence  in  Europe,  when  the 
unanimous  choice  of  Mr.  Peabody  and  the 
Trustees  of  the  noble  fund  called  him  to  a 
new  work.  It  gave  him  release  from  public 
speaking,  it  opened  a  milder  climate,  and 
probably  added  ten  years  to  his  life,  and  he 
accepted  it  as  a  direct  call  from  God."  Re- 
moving to  Staunton,  Virginia,  September  19, 
1867,  he  entered  with  vigor  and  hope  upon 
his  new  and  difficult  task. 

No  better  representation  of  this  task  and 


A  Christian  Educator         123 

of  the  skill  and  prudence  with  which  it  was 
performed  has  been  made  than  the  follow- 
ing from  the  pen  of  Doctor  J.  L.  M.  Curry, 
the  successor  of  Doctor  Sears  as  Secretary  of 
the  Peabody  Trust :  ''With  great  energy  and 
tact  Doctor  Sears  entered  upon  his  delicate, 
difficult,  and  onerous  duties.  .  ...  He 
brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  work  accurate 
scholarship,  unusual  fullness  of  historical  and 
pedagogical  information,  a  minute  and  prac- 
tical acquaintance  with  the  principles  and 
details  of  State  School  systems,  imperturb- 
able temper,  patient  and  laborious  inquiry, 
a  ready  and  thankful  willingness  to  learn, 
and  to  modify  opinions  and  judgments 
formed  from  partial  knowledge,  a  broad  and 
tolerant  patriotism,  impressive  courtesy  and 
dignity  of  manner,  firmness  of  action,  tender- 
est  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate,  and  stead- 
fast, inextinguishable  faith  in  the  feasibility 
and  indispensableness  of  universal  education. 
It  may  well  be  doubted  whether  any  other 
person  could  have  been  found  who  had  such 
adaptedness  to  the  work,  because  of  his  rare 


124  Barnas  Sears 

combination  of  personal,  intellectual,  and 
moral  qualities.  Reference  has  been  made 
to  the  bankruptcy  of  the  South  and  to  the 
timeliness  of  the  benefaction.  The  truth  of 
history  requires  the  cumulative  statement 
that  while  many  resolutely  accepted  the  situ- 
ation, and  with  courage  and  subdued  hope 
turned  their  faces  to  the  future,  a  majority 
dwelt  in  the  mournful  past,  grieved  with  un- 
utterable sadness  over  'the  lost  cause,'  and 
adjusted  themselves  slowly  and  with  ill- 
temper  to  the  new  environments,  and  were 
not  restraintful  in  the  bitter  and  almost  sav- 
age expression  of  their  discontent.  To  con- 
ciliate opposition,  to  quiet  offensive  hostility, 
to  avoid  irritation,  to  put  a  charitable  con- 
struction upon  hasty  speech  and  rude  action, 
to  help  in  dissipating  despair,  to  be  listened 
to  in  suggesting  and  urging  a  permanent 
policy  of  free  schools,  offering  equal  advan- 
tages to  the  late  masters  and  the  emanci- 
pated slaves,  and  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
traditions  and  practices  of  the  whole  past, 
required  what  few  men  possessed;   and  this 


A  Christian  Educator        125 

history  would  have  been  very  different  but 
for  the  wonderful  skill  and  ability  with  which 
Doctor  Sears,  transferring  his  home  and  citi- 
zenship to  Virginia,  surmounted  obstacles, 
changed  adverse  opinions  and  convictions  of 
the  people,  made  the  Peabody  Fund  a  most 
popular  trust,  and  became  himself  imbedded 
in  the  confidence  and  affections  of  the 
South."  ^ 

It  was  a  primary  object  of  Doctor  Sears  to 
encourage  the  establishment  of  systems  of 
public  schools  in  all  the  States;  and  one  of 
the  questions  which  he  presently  encoun- 
tered related  to  the  attitude  which  the  almo- 
ners of  the  Peabody  Fund  would  hold  to  the 
demand  for  ''mixed  schools."  In  1869,  he 
wrote  to  a  New  Orleans  paper  in  reply  to 
articles  of  inquiry: 

'*I  will  now  state  our  position,  which  is 
perfectly  known  to  you.  We  assume  no 
control  whatever  over  the  arrangement  of 
the  schools  to  which  assistance  is  accorded. 

'  See  Peabody  Education  Fund,  by  the  Hon.  J.  L.  M. 
Curry. 


126  Barnas  Sears 

We  have  nothing  to  do  with  any  party- 
questions,  or  with  the  poUcy  pursued  by 
Municipal  or  State  authorities.  We  only 
wish  to  aid  in  the  work  of  universal  education. 
If  separate  schools  are  provided  for  the  two 
races,  and  both  of  them  are  pleased  with  the 
arrangement,  we  can  have  no  embarrass- 
ment in  co-operating  with  the  State  authori- 
ties. If  the  law  requires  mixed  schools,  and 
the  children,  whether  white  or  black,  gener- 
ally attend  them,  we  shall  have  no  difficulty 
in  our  work.  ...  If  a  State  government 
ventures  upon  an  experiment  which  works 
badly,  we  cannot  help  it.  We  leave  the  re- 
sponsibility where  it  belongs.  We  must  go 
our  way,  and  do  our  duty,  helping  the  needy 
and  uneducated  'among  the  entire  population, 
without  other  distinction  than  their  needs, 
and  the  opportunities  of  usefulness  to  them.* 
Our  proper  business  is  to  encourage  univer- 
sal education ;  not  to  meddle  with  any  party 
question,  nor  to  encourage  or  discourage  any 
political  body.*' 

But  he  became  fully  convinced  that  *'any 


A  Christian  Educator        127 

authoritative  interference  with  the  schools  of 
these  States  (by  Congress)  would  be  disas- 
trous to  the  dearest  interests  of  education, 
and  would  be  by  far  the  most  unfortunate 
for  that  class  of  citizens  in  whose  behalf  such 
measures  have  been  proposed.  Foreseeing 
the  dangers  which  threatened  the  destruction 
of  the  State  systems  of  free  schools  in  the 
South,  in  all  of  which  provision  is  made  for 
the  education  of  one  race  as  much  as  the 
other,  and  standing,  in  some  sense,  as  the 
guardian  of  the  interests  committed  to  your 
care,  I  could  not  remain  a  passive  spectator, 
while  men  in  power  were  unwittingly,  as 
we  are  bound  to  believe,  urging  on  a  meas- 
ure which,  if  carried  out,  would  undo  nearly 
all  that  you  have  done  at  the  expenditure  of 
so  much  treasure  and  assiduous  labor.  On 
the  contrary,  I  felt  constrained  to  go  twice 
before  committees  and  leading  members  of 
Congress,  and  utter  a  voice  of  earnest  warn- 
ing against  a  futile  attempt  to  enforce  '  mixed 
schools,'  and  to  show,  as  best  I  might,  what 
would  be  the  necessary  operation  of  such  a 


128  Barnas  Sears 

law.  .  .  .  Already  an  amount  of  mischief 
has  been  done  which  it  will  take  years  to 
repair.  Confidence  has  been  shaken;  and 
men  who  stood  firm  before  have  become  de- 
spondent, and  are  retiring  from  the  field.  .  .  . 
Upon  no  part  of  the  community  would  the 
threatened  calamity  fall  so  heavily  as  upon 
the  colored  people.  Others  can,  without  any 
personal  sacrifice,  return  to  the  old  system  of 
private  schools.  .  .  .  These,  on  the  other 
hand,  would  in  most  places  be  left  com- 
pletely destitute  of  schools.  .  .  .  Let  us 
look  at  the  question  in  the  light  of  their 
interest  m.erely.  What  advantages  of  edu- 
cation have  they  now  in  fact  or  in  law?  The 
same  that  the  white  people  have.  .  .  . 
The  laws  in  all  the  States  require  the  same 
provision  to  be  made  for  both.  Nor  can  any 
distinction  be  safely  made  in  administering 
them.  .  .  .  From  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  the  State  governments  must,  in  the 
end,  adopt  and  carry  out  the  same  rule  for 
both  races,"  etc.  (Annual  Report  in  1874). 
The  *Xivil  Rights  BilF'  was  passed  without 


A  Christian  Educator         129 

the  clause  covering  the  co-education  of  the 
races,  and  the  ''States  moved  on  with  con- 
fidence and  courage/'  the  words  of  Doctor 
Curry  assure  us. 

To  illustrate  a  little  further  the  work  of 
Doctor  Sears,  it  may  be  remarked  that  during 
the  winter  and  spring  of  1876  he  made  a  can- 
vass of  the  State  of  Texas  in  the  interest  of 
public  schools,  which  had  failed  of  success 
''during  a  period  of  fierce  party  strife.''  In 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Winthrop,  he  says:  "  My  work 
in  Texas  was  finished  more  than  a  week  ago, 
and  I  trust  all  reasonable  expectations  have 
been  realized.  The  appointments  and  other 
arrangements  made  by  our  agent,  Rev.  Doctor 
Burleson,  turned  out  to  be  excellent."  And 
Doctor  Burleson  published  an  address,  in 
which  he  said:  "Doctor  Sears  has  made  this 
tour  to  Texas  in  compliance  with  the  special 
request  of  Mr.  Peabody,  expressed  shortly 
before  his  death.  There  never  was  such  a 
canvass  made  in  the  great  cause  of  educa- 
tion in  Texas  before,  and  never  was  there 
such  enthusiasm  awakened  to  commence  a 


I30  Barnas  Sears 

new  and  grand  educational  era  in  Texas. 
Doctor  Sears  has  been  heard  with  profound 
attention  by  our  governor  and  supreme 
judges,  our  greatest  educators,  our  mayors, 
our  editors,  our  merchants,  and  leading 
minds  in  all  our  professions  and  occupations. 
One  sentiment  universally  prevails — and 
that  is,  that  it  will  be  a  burning  shame  on 
Texas  not  to  provide  better  educational 
facilities/' 

These  particulars  have  been  mentioned  to 
show,  though  in  a  very  imperfect  manner, 
the  extremely  difficult  and  arduous  service 
which  Doctor  Sears  was  called  to  perform. 
It  would  be  easy  to  increase  their  number  in- 
definitely, and  to  enlarge  upon  the  patience 
and  tact  always  displayed  by  him.  He  was 
a  Christian  philanthropist  putting  all  his 
energy  and  heart  into  the  work. 

As  to  the  manner  of  his  fulfilling  this  new 
and  conspicuous  trust,  I  may  here  produce  the 
testimony  of  the  Honorable  Robert  C.  Win- 
throp  at  the  funeral  of  Doctor  Sears  in  Brook- 
line.     The  very  style  of  Mr.  Winthrop's  re- 


A  Christian  Educator         131 

marks  seems  to  labor  with  his  emotion  and 
sense  of  conscientious  obHgation  to  speak 
but  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness: 

**  It  must  be  only  a  word  that  I  shall  say. 
Within  an  hour  past  I  have  reached  my  home 
after  a  fatiguing  journey  of  more  than  sixty 
miles  on  this  most  oppressive  day  rather  than 
be  absent  from  the  obsequies  of  one  whom  I 
venerated  and  loved.  And  the  most  that  I 
can  say  here  this  afternoon  is  to  unite  my 
voice  with  that  of  my  friend  (Mr.  Boutwell) 
who  has  just  taken  his  seat,  in  thanking  God 
for  the  good  and  great  life  that  has  just 
closed.  It  has  been  my  fortune  to  be  brought 
into  the  most  intimate  and  affectionate  re- 
lations to  Doctor  Sears  for  thirteen  years 
past,  and  I  think  hardly  a  full  month 
has  ever  elapsed  during  that  period — unless 
I  happened  to  be  in  Europe,  and  even  then 
his  letters  often  followed  me — ^that  I  have 
not  read  letters  from  him  on  this  question  of 
the  great  trust  which  had  been  committed 
to  him  through  Mr.  George  Peabody,  or,  as 
I   might   say,    as   much   through   my   own 


132  Barnas  Sears 

agency  as  Mr.  Peabody's,  for  Mr.  Peabody 
had  never  known  Doctor  Sears,  I  think,  until 
after  he  had  been  made  Secretary  or  General 
Agent  of  that  great  Board  of  Trustees.  Gov- 
ernor Clifford  and  myself  knew  him  as 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  Governor  Clifford  had  known 
him  as  President  of  Brown  University;  but 
I  know  very  well  that  from  the  day  on  which, 
by  a  unanimous  vote  of  that  great  Board,  we 
made  him  its  General  Agent,  from  that  time 
to  this  we  have  gloried  in  that  act.  It  has 
been  the  crowning  glory  of  his  own  life.  We 
have  had  as  Trustees,  with  whom  he  was 
associated,  such  men  as  President  Hayes, 
President  Grant,  Governor  Fish,  Secretary 
Evarts,  Bishop  Mcllvaine  of  Ohio,  Bishop 
Whipple,  the  present  Apostolic  of  Minnesota, 
and  I  think  there  is  not  one  of  them,  and 
many  others,  who  would  not  enjoin  upon 
me,  utterly  unprepared  as  I  am,  for  I  had 
the  intimation  only  as  I  entered  the  door  a 
moment  ago  that  anything  was  expected 
from  me — ^there  is  not  one  of  them  who 


A  Christian  Educator         133 

would  not  hold  me  to  account  if  I  did  not 
express  in  behalf  of  the  whole  Board,  includ- 
ing especially  the  Southern  members — Mr. 
Keene,  of  South  Carolina,  Mr.  Stuart,  Gen- 
eral Jackson,  of  Georgia,  and  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Louisiana,  who  has  recently  been 
added  to  our  Board  in  place  of  General  Tay- 
lor— ^there  is  not  one  of  them  who  would  not 
hold  me  to  strict  account  if  I  did  not  express 
in  their  behalf  as  well  as  my  own  the  deep 
sense  of  the  great  public  loss  that  has  been 
sustained  in  the  death  of  Doctor  Sears,  and 
of  the  great  personal  loss  which  we  shall  all 
feel. 

*'  But,  as  I  said,  he  has  finished  the  crown- 
ing glory  of  his  life.  Coming  in  just  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  when  feelings  between 
the  different  parts  of  the  country  were  embit- 
tered, when  there  was  great  jealousy,  great 
impatience  with  anything  that  should  seem 
like  interference  with  Southern  institutions, 
he  so  conducted  that  great  trust  through  a 
period  of  thirteen  years,  that  we  have  com- 
pleted, really,  the  primary  work  for  which 


134  Barnas  Sears 

the  trust  was  instituted,  and  are  ready  to 
follow  a  defined  line  of  policy.  He  has  con- 
ducted it  in  a  manner  which  I  do  not  believe 
any  man  living  or  dead  could  have  conducted 
it — with  so  much  success,  with  so  much  abil- 
ity, with  so  much  devotion.  I  can  say 
nothing  more/' 

And  surely  nothing  more  need  be  said  to 
convince  anyone,  who  knows  the  relation  of 
Robert  C.  Winthrop  to  Barnas  Sears  and  the 
Peabody  Fund,  that  the  service  of  Doctor 
Sears  to  the  cause  of  education  during  the 
last  thirteen  years  of  his  life  was  a  service  of 
the  noblest  and  finest  quality,  worthy  of  the 
cause  and  worthy  of  the  man  whose  name 
we  delight  to  honor. 

Yet  the  remarks  of  the  Right  Reverend  H. 
B.  Whipple,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  February  2,  1881,  after  the  Chair- 
man's address  on  Doctor  Sears,  deserve  a 
place  in  this  record: 

**  I  do  not  feel  able  to  add  one  word  to  the 
just  tribute  paid  by  our  Chairman  to  the 
memory  of  Doctor  Sears.     His  name  will  al- 


A  Christian  Educator         135 

ways  be  remembered  as  the  wise  almoner  of 
this  great  trust.  We  all  know  his  rare  wis- 
dom, his  patient  industry  and  his  gentleness 
in  overcoming  obstacles,  and  so  drawing  all 
hearts  to  him  that  they  worked  with  him  in 
laying  the  foundations  of  a  system  of  public 
schools  for  the  South. 

**I  feel  that  as  one  of  another  communion  I 
may  say  a  few  words  of  his  Christian  charac- 
ter. The  crowning  glory  of  his  life  was  his 
simple,  earnest  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  was 
to  him  a  life  of  loyalty  to  the  One  who  had 
created  and  redeemed  him.  He  doubtless 
loved  the  church  which  was  his  home,  but 
his  heart  was  too  great  to  have  his  sym- 
pathies fettered  by  any  hedges  of  man's 
making.  He  loved  all  whom  God  loved,  and 
his  heart  went  out  for  all  who  need  the  com- 
fort and  consolations  of  religion.  We  can 
all  recall  times  when  his  gentle  manners  and 
Christian  humility  won  our  hearts.  I  have 
felt  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  associated  with 
one  whose  religion  was  so  broad,  so  earnest, 
so  real.     Few  men  leave  behind  them  so 


136  Barnas  Sears 

many  blessed  memories  of  work  which  was 
well  done.  We  can  rejoice,  while  we  mourn, 
that  the  brave  servant  of  Christ  has  entered 
into  the  rest  of  the  people  of  God.  For  him 
the  hoary  head  was  a  crown  of  glory,  for  he 
was  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and 
we  believe  that  for  him  at  eventide  there  was 
the  light  of  the  other  home." 

No  less  instructive  were  the  remarks  of 
the  Honorable  A.  H.  H.  Stuart  at  the  same 
meeting  of  the  Board.  After  speaking  of 
Doctor  Sears  at  his  home  in  Staunton, 
he  added  these  words  concerning  his 
work: 

''  But  it  was  as  an  advocate  of  popular  ed- 
ucation, as  an  organizer  of  public  schools,  as 
an  exponent  of  the  best  methods  of  instruc- 
tion, as  a  leader  of  public  opinion,  that  he 
stood  pre-eminent  among  the  men  of  the  day. 
His  speech  before  the  Convention  of  Virginia 
in  1868,  on  the  subject  of  *  Free  Schools,'  and 
the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the 
people,  was,  in  my  judgment,  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  effective  that  was  ever  de- 


A  Christian  Educator         137 

livered  on  that  subject ;  and  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  saying  that  it  aided  materially  in 
giving  shape  and  impulse  to  the  admirable 
system  of  '  Free  Schools '  which  now  prevails 
in  Virginia. 

''In  reading  the  speech  a  few  days  ago,  I 
was  particularly  impressed  with  the  follow- 
ing sentence :  *  Among  the  best  gifts  of  Provi- 
dence to  a  nation  are  great  and  good  men 
who  act  as  its  leaders  and  guides;  who 
leave  their  mark  upon  their  age ;  who  give  a 
new  direction  to  affairs;  who  introduce  a 
course  of  events  which  go  down  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  pouring  their  blessings  on 
mankind.'  How  replete  with  wisdom,  how 
beautiful  in  expression,  is  this  sentence, — 
how  worthy  of  the  man  who  gave  utterance 
to  it !  And  who  among  those  best  acquainted 
with  him  can  fail  to  perceive  that,  in  these 
few  words,  he  unconsciously,  but  with  a 
master's  hand,  sketched  what  must  be  recog- 
nized as  an  accurate  portrait  of  his  own 
noble  character!" 

Not  less  significant  were   the   words  of 


138  Barnas  Sears 

Chancellor  Stearns  of  the  Normal  College  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  as  a  tribute  to  the  character 
and  work  of  Doctor  Sears:  ''This  is  not  the 
time  or  place  for  a  minute  analysis  of  the  char- 
acter of  this  gifted  person,  nor  for  a  discussion 
of  those  traits  whose  strength,  fullness,  and 
harmony  made  up  the  man.  I  have  already 
touched  upon  many  of  the  more  prominent. 
But  as  I  have  challenged  your  admiration, 
I  would  also  with  much  more  earnestness,  if 
possible,  hold  up  this  exalted  character  for 
your  study  and  imitation.  His  almost 
august  person  will  never  again  be  seen,  or 
his  noble  presence  felt  by  us.  We  shall 
never  again  listen,  spellbound,  to  the  words 
of  wise  counsel  falling  in  sweet  yet  manly 
tones  from  his  lips.  We  shall  see  him  no 
more,  but  I  shall  beg  you  not  to  forget  what 
made  him  great.  The  dignity  of  his  person, 
the  elegance  and  courtliness  of  his  man« 
ners,  his  profound  learning,  his  benevolent 
spirit,  his  purity  of  heart,  his  undying  Chris- 
tian faith,  his  devotion  to  his  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter, may  all  be  yours.    Live,  young  gentlemen 


A  Christian  Educator         139 

and  ladies,  such  lives  as  his,  and  you  will  not 
have  lived  in  vain." 

Tributes  of  a  similar  character  came  to 
Mr.  Winthrop  from  all  parts  of  the  South; 
from  boards  of  education,  trustees  of  public 
schools,  State  superintendents  of  instruction, 
associations  of  teachers,  city  councils,  and 
governors;  from  Virginia,  Georgia,  Tennes- 
see, Kansas,  and  Texas.  All  of  them  were 
unqualified  in  their  high  appreciation  of  the 
service  which  Doctor  Sears  had  rendered  to 
the  cause  of  education  by  his  personal  influ- 
ence in  the  administration  of  the  Peabody 
Fund.  It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  reproduce 
these  testimonials  of  his  almost  unparalleled 
success  in  so  difficult  an  enterprise;  but 
space  will  not  permit. 

In  perfect  accord  with  these  testimonies 
concerning  Doctor  Sears  in  the  last  thirteen 
years  of  his  life,  are  the  words  of  the  writer 
of  this  memorial  at  his  funeral,  based  upon 
what  he  was  as  a  teacher  thirty  years  before. 
His  earlier  work  was  prophetic  of  his  later. 

'  ^  No  man  can  be  an  inspiring  teacher  without 


I40  Barnas  Sears 

loving  knowledge  with  a  great  and  mani- 
fest love.  This  qualification  for  his  work  at 
Newton  was  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree 
by  Doctor  Sears.  His  pupils  in  theology  and 
church  history  were  made  to  feel  that  realms 
of  truth  were  constantly  opening  to  his  view, 
and  that  he  was  eagerly  beckoning  them  on- 
ward in  the  search  for  it.  The  action  of  his 
mind  was  rapid  and  comprehensive.  De- 
tails of  argument  did  not  confuse  him.  He 
laid  hold  of  the  latest  and  best  discussions  of 
the  topics  which  he  was  to  present  and  used 
them  with  skill.  He  gave  to  his  pupils  the 
impression  that  truth  was  many-sided  and 
not  to  be  attained  without  effort,  but  also 
that  it  was  eternal  and  within  the  reach  of 
honest  endeavor.  Not  that  it  could  be  found 
here  in  its  perfection;  for,  though  his  words 
were  habitually  hopeful,  no  one  was  more  will- 
ing to  admit  that  now  we  know  but  in  part. 
'*  With  this  sober  estimate  of  human  prog- 
ress in  religious  science,  he  kept  alive  in  his 
own  heart  and  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  his 
pupils  an  ardent  love  of  Christian  knowledge, 


A  Christian  Educator         141 

giving  to  some  of  them  an  impulse  to  high 
endeavor  which  will  only  cease  to  work  with 
the  last  moment  of  life. 

''But  Doctor  Sears  was  not  simply  a 
scholar,  he  was  also  a  philanthropist  deeply 
interested  in  the  improvement  of  society. 
Familiar  with  the  history  of  mankind,  he 
was  accustomed  to  trace  with  delight  the 
indications  of  a  divine  plan  in  that  history, 
the  signs  of  overruling  wisdom  amid  the 
passion  and  selfishness  of  conflicting  nations, 
the  evidences  of  progress  toward  something 
better  in  the  operation  of  vast  social,  moral, 
and  religious  forces.  This  was  evident  in  his 
teaching.  He  had  an  eye  to  the  world  while 
he  was  speaking  to  his  class.  He  felt  the 
pulses  of  his  age  while  he  was  dealing  with 
a  few  young  men  in  the  retirement  of  an 
upper  room.  This  may  have  been  partly 
due  to  the  historical  cast  of  his  mind,  but  it 
was  chiefly  due  to  his  love  of  man.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  hermit  in  his  spirit.  He 
believed  in  living  and  working  among  men 
for  their  benefit. 


142  Barnas  Sears 

''And  no  class  of  students  could  be  so 
small  that  he  did  not  seem  to  connect  it  with 
the  whole  world,  and  to  feel  that  the  truth 
he  was  unfolding  might  be  carried  by  it  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Nor  was  this  a  de- 
lusion. From  some  of  the  smallest  groups 
that  sat  at  his  feet,  men  were  called  to  visit 
distant  lands,  that  they  might  cast  seeds  of 
truth  into  minds  untaught  and  dark.  How 
much  of  their  zeal  for  the  diffusion  of  saving 
truth  was  due  to  his  influence  no  one  can  tell, 
but  we  who  enjoyed  his  tuition  know  that 
the  weal  of  mankind  was  rarely  absent  from 
his  thoughts. 

''For  eight  years  he  was  a  faithful  and 
laborious  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  our  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
His  service  on  this  Committee  was  during  a 
time  of  peculiar  difficulty  and  excitement; 
his  counsel  and  influence  are  said  to  have 
been  wise  and  firm  though  conciliatory,  and 
his  efforts  very  efficient  in  preserving  the 
Society  from  bankruptcy.  I  remember  well 
the  appeals  which  he  sometimes  made  to 


A  Christian  Educator         143 

young  men  in  behalf  of  the  foreign  service. 
Moreover,  happily  for  us,  and  I  believe  for 
him,  he  was  repeatedly  chosen,  a  few  years 
since,  to  preside  over  the  Missionary  Union 
(three  years,  1874-77).  The  addresses  which 
he  delivered  at  the  opening  sessions  of  the 
Union  were  remarkable,  especially  the  last 
two,  one  of  them  upon  the  Older  Mission- 
aries of  the  Society,  and  the  other  upon  the 
Present  State  of  our  Mission  Fields. 

*' After  what  has  been  said,  it  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  speak  of  Doctor  Sears's  fidelity 
to  Christian  truth.  Yet  this  is  one  of  the 
clearest  evidences  of  high  character  which 
the  life  of  any  Christian  affords.  For, 
though  persecution  has  ceased,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  any  good  man  to  fill  a  place  in 
society  without  meeting  with  persons  who 
disapprove,  if  they  do  not  despise,  his  re- 
ligious belief;  and  it  is  the  mark  of  a  great 
and  genuine  man  to  be  always  faithful  to  his 
convictions  of  religious  duty,  to  stand  firmly 
by  what  he  believes  to  be  true,  and  to  let  the 
testimony  of  his  example  proclaim  the  faith 


144  Barnas  Sears 

of  his  soul.  In  this  respect,  I  have  reason  to 
suppose  that  Doctor  Sears  was  a  model 
Christian,  courteous  to  all,  overawed  by 
none,  willing  to  treat  others  kindly,  but 
ready,  on  proper  occasions,  to  avow  his  own 
standing  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  his  own 
faith  in  the  Redeemer  of  men.  Such  was 
the  impression  which  he  made  on  our  minds 
as  a  theological  teacher.  For  while  his  dis- 
cussions in  the  class-room  were  broad  and 
free,  without  bitterness  to  any  and  singu- 
larly just  to  those  whose  views  differed  from 
his  own,  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I  was  never 
in  doubt  as  to  his  own  belief  on  any  impor- 
tant point,  and  was  sure  that  he  accepted 
with  steadfast  confidence  the  cardinal  facts 
and  principles  of  our  holy  religion.  Making 
free  use  of  German  scholarship,  and  boldly 
asserting  it  to  be  his  right  and  duty  to  do 
this,  he  was  never,  I  think,  the  servant  of 
that  scholarship,  but  always,  in  a  proper 
sense,  its  master,  rejecting  without  fear  or 
scruple  any  of  its  conclusions  that  seemed  to 
be  erroneous.     And  no  mind,  reverent  and 


A  Christian  Educator        145 

hospitable  towards  truth,  can  do  otherwise. 
Is  not  this  the  same  man  who  thirty  years 
afterwards  administered  the  Peabody  Fund 
in  the  South? 

*'  If  a  more  definite  statement  is  desired  in 
respect  to  the  results  of  Doctor  Sears's  work 
in  the  South,  the  following  words  of  Honor- 
able Robert  C.  Winthrop  are  sufficient :  '  We 
may  well  thank  God  that  we  have  enjoyed 
his  inestimable  services  for  thirteen  succes- 
sive years,  and  that  during  this  period  he 
has  accomplished,  with  our  counsel  and  co- 
operation, the  first  and  most  important  part 
of  the  plan  which  he  originally  marked  out 
for  us.  We  have  laid  foundations  which 
cannot  be  removed.  The  Common  School 
System  has  been  recognized  and  adopted  in 
every  one  of  the  States  contemplated  by 
Mr.  Peabody's  endowment.  Good  School 
Laws  have  been  enacted  in  all  the  Southern 
States,  and  good  Common  Schools  may  now 
be  found  ''sprinkled,*'  as  he  said,  over  those 
States,  as  examples  and  models.' 

* 'Another  authority  says : '  When  he  began. 


146  Barnas  Sears 

the  South  was  almost  a  stranger  to  public 
schools;  to-day  the  public-school  system  of 
all  Southern  States  is  almost  complete,  and 
its  rapidly  increasing  privileges  are  offered 
to  all  alike.  It  would  be  erroneous  to  assert 
that  this  is  exclusively  the  work  of  Doctor 
Sears ;  but  it  is  right  to  say  that  no  man  has 
cared  more  wisely  for  the  common  schools  of 
the  whole  South  than  Doctor  Sears.  He 
has  done  fully  as  much  for  the  schools  of 
the  South  as  Horace  Mann  did  for  those  of 
Massachusetts;  possibly  he  has  done  more. 
And,  unlike  most  reformers,  he  has  been  a 
peace-maker,  modest,  retiring,  and  sweet- 
tempered.  It  would  be  contrary  to  human 
nature,  if  the  whole  South  did  not  mourn  his 
loss  like  that  of  a  paternal  friend  and  per- 
sonal benefactor.' 

''  In  respect  to  the  second  part  of  the  work 
planned  by  Doctor  Sears,  the  founding  of 
Normal  Schools,  of  scholarships,  and  the 
promotion  of  Teachers'  Institutes,  a  good 
beginning  had  been  made.  Writing  to  Mr. 
Winthrop  on  the  23d  of  October,  1877,  he 


A  Christian  Educator        147 

says  of  Texas:  *The  truth  is,  the  light  is 
coming  in  steadily,  and  cannot  be  shut  out. 
I  am  reminded  of  what  Luther  said  to  Mel- 
ancthon,  *' When  you  and  I  are  drinking  our 
beer,  the  Gospel  is  spreading  among  the 
people/'* 

**In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Winthrop,  dated  April 
28,  1879,  after  speaking  of  the  Normal 
Schools  in  North  Carolina,  Mississippi,  Vir- 
ginia, and  Tennessee,  and  of  the  movements 
for  their  establishment  in  Florida,  Georgia, 
and  Texas,  he  says:  *0n  the  whole,  it  now 
looks  as  if  we  should  carry  out  our  new  plan, 
the  improvement  of  teachers,  as  success- 
fully as  we  did  our  first,  the  establishment  of 
schools.  We  must  not  expect  to  accomplish 
this  in  a  day ;  but  we  may  expect  to  see  the 
work  done  in  a  few  years,  if  we  steadily  make 
this  our  chief  aim.' 

**In  his  efforts  to  solve  a  perplexing  prob- 
lem concerning  the  removal  of  the  Normal 
College  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  to  another 
place,  Doctor  Sears  went  to  Atlanta,  Georgia, 
in  the  month  of  March,  i88o,  where  he  was 


148  Barnas  Sears 

joined  by  Chancellor  Stearns  on  the  2  2d  of 
the  month.  'On  my  arrival/  the  Chancel- 
lor reports,  *  I  found  that  Doctor  Sears  had 
reached  Atlanta  some  time  before  me.  To 
my  deep  regret,  I  found  him  in  bed  and  very 
ill, — much  more  so,  it  seemed  to  me,  than  he 
was  willing  to  admit.  He  had  been  actively 
engaged  since  his  arrival,  with  numerous 
persons,  who  sought  his  always  agreeable 
company,  and  in  visiting  different  sites  pro- 
posed for  the  location  of  the  College.  The 
weather  was  cold  and  damp,  and  he  was  suf- 
fering too  much  for  the  further  prosecution 
of  business.'  After  describing  a  visit  made 
by  three  members  of  the  Board  to  Athens,  a 
rival  site  for  the  College,  Mr.  Stearns  con- 
tinues: *We  did  not  reach  Atlanta  on  our 
return  the  second  day,  until  after  12  o'clock 
at  night.  With  some  hesitation  lest  I  should 
disturb  the  Governor's  hospitable  family,  I 
repaired  to  the  Executive  Mansion.  The 
servant  who  admitted  me  said:  ''Doctor 
Sears  wishes  to  see  you  in  his  room  as  soon  as 
you  arrive."    ''  But  Doctor  Sears,"  I  replied, 


A  Christian  Educator         149 

*'did  not  probably  anticipate  that  I  would 
be  detained  until  so  late  an  hour;  besides, 
he  is  sick,  and  I  cannot  think  of  disturbing 
him/'  ''But,*'  said  he,  ''Doctor  Sears  has 
not  gone  to  bed,  and  says  he  shall  not  until 
you  come.  He  must  see  you  to-night."  I 
accordingly  knocked  softly  at  his  door,  al- 
most certain  that  there  would  be  no  re- 
sponse ;  but,  to  my  amazement,  he  called  me 
in,  and,  as  the  servant  said,  sat  waiting  my 
arrival  at  nearly  one  o'clock  at  night !  He 
could  not  sleep,  he  said,  until  my  return 
and  he  had  heard  my  report.  I  gave  him 
a  brief  description  of  my  visit,  and  then 
urged  him  to  retire,  promising  to  give  him 
all  the  particulars  in  the  morning.' 

*'It  may  not  be  out  of  place  for  me  to 
say  here,  that  the  physical  disability  under 
which  Doctor  Sears  was  laboring  at  this  time 
seemed  to  us  who  were  near  him  a  mere  tem- 
porary affliction,  and  not  at  all  indicative  of 
enfeebled  or  wasting  physical  powers.  His 
mind  seemed  never  more  vigorous,  quicker 
of  apprehension,  clearer  or  more  powerful, 


ISO  Barnas  Sears 

or  his  judgment  more  logical  and  profound. 
The  remarkable  vigor  of  intellect  he  exhibited 
was  not  unfrequently  commented  upon  by 
those  he  met  during  this  visit/' 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HOME    AND    SOCIAL    LIFE 

But  what  can  be  said  of  Doctor  Sears  in  Jiis 
Staunton  home  during  these  thirteen  years? 
In  the  remarks  of  Honorable  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 
a  part  of  which  have  already  been  quoted,  we 
find  a  partial  answer  to  this  question.  ''In 
my  first  interview  I  found  myself  drawn  to 
him  by  that  species  of  magnetism  which 
some  men  possess  in  so  high  a  degree,  and 
which  at  once  inspires  confidence  and  awak- 
ens sympathy.  ...  To  high  intellectual 
gifts  and  large  attainments  in  most  of  the 
departments  of  useful  knowledge,  he  united 
an  urbanity  of  manner  and  vivacity  of 
spirits  which  rendered  his  society  peculiarly 
attractive.  His  colloquial  talent  and  his 
boundless  stores  of  literary  incidents  and 
anecdotes  gave  a  fascination  to  his  conversa- 
tion which  I  have  rarely  known  equalled. 
151 


152  Barnas  Sears 

His  house  in  Staunton  was  a  sort  of  social 
center,  where  a  liberal  hospitality  was  dis- 
pensed, and  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  culti- 
vated tastes  met  periodically  to  read  and 
interchange  thoughts  and  comments  on  the 
best  literary  works  of  the  day.  ...  In 
social  life,  while  Dr.  Sears  was  always  digni- 
fied in  his  bearing,  and  never  for  a  moment 
forgot  what  was  due  to  his  high  official  posi- 
tion and  his  sacred  calling  as  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  like  Sidney  Smith,  he  often  took 
pleasure  in  unbending  and  giving  way  to  the 
natural  gayety  of  his  disposition.  On  more 
than  one  festive  occasion,  when  surrounded 
by  a  few  congenial  friends,  I  have  known 
him  unlock,  as  it  were,  the  treasury  of  his 
literary  knowledge,  and  delight  the  company 
with  racy  anecdotes  and  sparkling  displays 
of  wit  and  humor,  which  all  felt  it  was  a  high 
privilege  to  enjoy.'' 

Not  long  after  his  death,  there  appeared 
in  The  Watchman  an  article  which  speaks  in 
pleasant  terms  of  his  enjoyment  of  life  in  his 
Virginia  home. 


RESIDENCE  OF  DR.  SEARS  AT  STAUNTON,  VIRGINIA 


A  Christian  Educator        153 

**He  adapted  himself  to  a  retired,  quiet 
life  with  surprising  cheerfulness.  He  be- 
came very  fond  of  his  beautiful  Virginia 
home,  and  spent  much  of  his  leisure  in  im- 
proving it.  During  the  long  summer  months 
he  preferred  remaining  there  to  travelling 
or  visiting  abroad.  The  pure  mountain  air 
and  the  magnificent  view  from  his  piazza  of 
the  famous  *  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,'  ex- 
tending for  more  than  twenty  miles,  inter- 
rupted at  last  by  the  Blue  Ridge,  afforded 
him  continual  delight.  It  was  his  habit  to 
take  a  favorite  author  out  into  the  open  air, 
and  spend  hours  under  the  wide-spreading 
oaks,  with  which  his  place  abounded.  Here 
much  of  his  thinking  was  done ;  here  much 
of  his  company  was  received.  Many  of  his 
intimate  friends  find  themselves  even  now 
vainly  looking  for  the  familiar  figure,  as 
they  come  up  the  shady  walks  and  expect- 
ing the  kindly  greeting  which  always  wel- 
comed them.  He  took  great  pleasure  in 
pointing  out  the  various  places  of  interest  to 
the  frequent  strangers  who,  attracted  by  the 


154  Barnas  Sears 

commanding  prospect,  rather  hesitatingly 
ventured  up  the  hill.  Many  have  carried 
away  pleasant  memories  of  the  genial,  cour- 
teous old  gentleman,  who  so  hospitably 
begged  them  to  rest  awhile,  and,  in  the  case 
of  ladies  and  children,  so  freely  offered  them 
flowers  or  fruit. 

''In  previous  situations  he  had  never  had 
the  time  or  opportunity  to  enter  into  outdoor 
occupations,  but  now,  like  the  venerable  Dr. 
Wayland,  he  found  delight  in  cultivating 
fruit-trees,  and  vines,  and  ornamental  shrubs ; 
and,  although  unused  to  the  exertion,  might 
often  have  been  seen  with  his  hoe  or  pruning- 
knife.  The  partial  superintending  of  a  small 
place,  about  a  mile  distant  from  his  residence, 
interested  him  much,  and  although  regarded 
as  merely  a  '  garden'  by  Virginians,  who 
could  not,  by  any  stretch  of  courtesy,  call 
forty  acres  a  *farm,*  to  him  it  was  quite  an 
undertaking.  Conjectures  were  often  laugh- 
ingly made  as  to  what  some  of  his  Northern 
friends  would  say,  if  they  could  meet  him, 
riding  out  behind  his  colored  man,  in  his 


A  Christian  Educator        155 

spring  wagon,  with  wide-brimmed  hat  and 
umbrella,  'to  view  his  crops/  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  this  simple,  quiet  country- 
residence  prolonged  his  life  for  years.  The 
bronchial  cough,  which  always  assailed  him 
on  Northern  trips,  here  ceased.  The  un- 
wonted exercise  brought  healthful  fatigue, 
and  his  sleep  was  calm  and  restful." 

With  these  ''  Northern  trips  "  may  be  con- 
nected an  item  of  the  present  writer's  ex- 
perience. He  is  member  of  a  literary  and 
religious  club  which  Doctor  Sears  honored 
with  his  presence  during  a  transient  visit  to 
Boston.  One  of  the  usages  of  the  club  is  to 
call  upon  its  members  and  guests  to  make 
some  report  of  their  reading  during  the 
month.  Doctor  Sears  was  easily  first  in  such 
an  exercise ;  for  he  was  not  only  a  great  reader 
of  good  books,  but  a  most  skilful  reporter  of 
their  contents.  His  memory  retained  with 
burr-like  tenacity  the  substance  of  what  was 
committed  to  it,  and  was  rarely  at  fault  in  re- 
recalling  whatever  was  stored  away  in  it.  On 
the  occasion  referred  to,  his  characterization 


156  Barnas  Sears 

of  several  books  was  so  distinct  and  forcible 
as  to  kindle  the  admiration  of  all  present. 

Doctor  Sears  was  able  to  adapt  himself 
with  remarkable  facility  to  circumstances. 
A  friend  writes  that  *'it  was  often  a  wonder 
how  he  could  so  readily  conform  to  any  and 
every  condition.  Once  while  visiting  a  well- 
known  family  in  the  Southwestern  part  of 
the  State,  he  had  occasion  to  take  a  trip  of 
more  than  seventy  miles  across  uncultivated 
country.  The  oldest  lady  member  owned 
a  very  fine  saddle-horse,  which  she,  although 
a  grandmother,  kept  exclusively  for  her  in- 
dividual use.  In  arranging  for  the  expedi- 
tion, this  lady  proposed  that  Doctor  Sears 
should  take  her  horse  and  journey  in  the 
saddle!  It  had  been  probably  over  forty 
years  since  he  had  ridden  horseback,  but  he 
accepted  the  proposal,  and  afterwards  was  ac- 
customed to  relate,  with  some  merriment,  how 
he  accomplished  the  jaunt  in  three  days*  time. 
Mr.  Peabody  met  this  lady  at  the  White  Sul- 
phur Springs,  shortly  after,  in  company  with 
Doctor  Sears,  and  hearing  this  fact  related, 


A  Christian  Educator         157 

thanked  her  very  graciously  for  assisting  in 
carrying  out  his  great  scheme  of  education. 

**0n  another  occasion,  while  travelling  in 
Arkansas,  the  happy  ability  to  *  accept  the 
situation'  asserted  itself  with  good  fortune 
to  others.  A  furious  snow-storm  had 
blocked  the  track,  detaining  the  impatient 
passengers  for  many  hours.  Without  food 
or  fuel,  their  condition  was  most  uncom- 
fortable, but  he,  with  his  cheerful  voice  and 
ready  wit,  beguiled  the  time,  encouraging 
each  individual  to  contribute  anecdote  or 
joke,  so  that  the  dismal  detention  was  robbed 
of  half  its  wretchedness.  Among  the  ladies 
there  was  one,  however,  who  did  not  par- 
ticipate in  the  amusement  and  laughter.  On 
inquiry,  it  was  found  that  she  was  a  foreigner, 
and  unable  to  speak  English.  Her  joy  was 
intense  on  hearing  Dr.  Sears  address  her  in 
her  own  language,  and  she  soon  told  him  her 
romantic  history.  Several  years  before,  her 
lover  had  left  Germany  to  make  a  home  in 
the  United  States,  and  had  finally  settled  in 
Arkansas.     Having     succeeded     in     saving 


158  Barnas  Sears 

some  money,  he  sent  for  his  betrothed  to 
come  to  him.  She  had  been  put  in  charge 
of  a  family  who  came  as  far  as  New  York, 
and  who  gave  her,  on  parting,  a  written  ap- 
peal to  whomever  she  should  journey  with,  be- 
speaking their  kind  offices.  Armed  with  this 
slight  protection,  she  had  bravely  made  her 
way  to  within  a  few  miles  of  her  destination. 
But  this  accident  had  completely  unnerved 
her,  and  she  was  about  to  give  way  to  de- 
spair, when  the  kind,  reassuring  stranger 
bade  her  take  heart  and  promised  to  assist 
her  all  in  his  power.  She  afterwards  said 
that  hearing  *  those  good  words  from  the 
beautiful  old  gentleman  gave  new  courage.' 

''Doctor  Sears's  journeys  abounded  in  in- 
cidents of  this  sort,  showing  uniform  courtesy 
and  unfeigned  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
fellow-creatures.  His  was  true  kindness  of 
heart,  bestowing  itself  alike  on  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  the  educated  and  the  ignorant.  As 
a  natural  result  he  made  hosts  of  friends,  and 
always  met  with  the  greatest  attention  in  all 
his  Southern  trips." 


A  Christian  Educator         159 

It  is  possible  to  emphasize  the  ''sweet 
reasonableness"  of  Doctor  Sears  so  strongly 
as  to  obscure  his  indignation  at  wrong  and 
even  his  energy  in  carrying  out  a  deliberate 
purpose.  He  was  from  first  to  last,  as  every 
great  worker  must  be,  tenax  propositi.  Clear- 
sighted in  deliberation,  he  was  strenuous  in 
action.  Doctor  Heman  Lincoln  refers  to  an 
intimation  that  he  sometimes  ''used  a  vein 
of  sarcasm  in  his  controversial  writing  which 
wounded  persons  more  than  errors;"  but 
he  replies  very  truly  that  "no  one  intimate 
with  Doctor  Sears  would  doubt  that  a  power 
of  sarcasm  was  one  of  his  great  intellectual 
gifts.  His  intimate  friends  always  won- 
dered how  he  could  hold  such  a  power  under 
restraint.  He  was  a  model  of  urbanity  in 
social  life,  and  of  courtesy  in  discussions  on 
the  platform  and  through  the  press.  The 
gift  of  sarcasm  was  rarely  brought  into  use, 
perhaps  never,  save  in  obedience  to  the 
divine  command:  'Answer  a  fool  according 
to  his  folly,  lest  he  be  wise  in  his  own  con- 
ceit/" 


CHAPTER  IX 

LAST   ADDRESS    READ    BY    DOCTOR    ELLIS 

We  now  turn  to  the  words  spoken  by- 
Doctor  George  E.  Ellis  concerning  the  last 
days  of  his  friend  at  Saratoga,  whither  he 
had  come  to  address  the  American  Institute 
of  Instruction  on  the  ''Educational  Progress 
in  the  United  States  During  the  last  Fifty 
Years/'  Said  Doctor  Ellis,  before  reading  for 
his  friend  this  address:  *'It  could  not  have 
entered  my  mind  in  coming  to  make  my 
accustomed  summer  visit  here,  that  I  should 
be  called  to  the  service  which  I  am  asked 
now  to  perform,  in  part  by  the  late  honored 
and  revered  Doctor  Sears,  and  in  part  by  the 
president  of  this  institute.  Doctor  Sears  had 
dictated  at  his  home  in  Staunton,  Virginia, 
and  brought  with  him,  the  manuscript  of  an 
address  for  this  occasion.  He  was  much  re- 
duced in  health  and  very  weak  when  he 

i6o 


A  Christian  Educator         i6i 

came,  four  weeks  ago,  and  expected  that  his 
address  would  be  read  for  him,  while  he  hoped 
to  attend  your  meetings.  You  all  know 
with  what  fidelity  and  ability,  with  what 
pre-eminent  wisdom  and  practical  efficiency 
he  has  discharged  his  high  and  difficult  ser- 
vice to  the  great  Peabody  Educational  Trust 
for  the  Southern  States.  The  distinguished 
and  most  earnest  president  of  that  commis- 
sion, the  Honorable  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  my 
friend  and  neighbor  in  Boston,  stood  in  the 
closest  relations  of  confidence  and  regard  with 
Doctor  Sears,  and  charged  me  on  my  coming 
here  to  seek  out  the  patient,  with  whom  I  had 
been  long  acquainted,  and  to  report  on  his 
condition.  I  accordingly  made  almost  daily 
visits,  and,  by  Doctor  Sears's  request,  these 
were  generally  protracted  ones,  as  they  en- 
gaged his  mind  from  dwelling  on  his  ill  symp- 
toms. He  was  exceedingly  reduced  and 
weak,  but  hopeful  of  at  least  partial  restora- 
tion, preserving  all  his  dignity  and  sweet 
serenity,  constantly  referring  to  the  benefi- 
cent work   which   had   engaged    him   with 


1 62  Barnas  Sears 

such  rewarding  results  for  thirteen  years, 
and  expressing  his  profound  respect  and 
warm  affection  for  his  advising  and  sus- 
taining friend,  Mr.  Winthrop.  His  vigor 
of  mind  was  wholly  unimpaired,  and  his 
thoughts,  fed  by  the  elevated  tasks  and  oc- 
cupations which  had  made  his  long  life  so 
serviceable  and  benignant,  were  a  better  sus- 
tenance than  his  slender  diet  and  his  un- 
availing drugs.  At  the  verge  of  its  close,  his 
animating,  existing  being,  his  life,  seemed  to 
be  of  a  sort  for  which  there  could  be  no  ar- 
rest or  break,  so  continuous  and  steadfast 
was  its  flow  on  towards  a  deepening  channel. 
His  interest  for  his  last  days  was  largely  en- 
gaged by  his  address  for  the  occasion.  The 
only  intimation  which  he  gave  as  to  his 
thought  on  what  might  be  the  result,  near, 
or  not  long  to  be  delayed,  of  his  illness,  was 
in  a  word  which  he  dropped  to  me,  that  this 
address  was  to  be  his  last  labor  of  the  pen. 
On  Saturday,  by  his  gently  earnest  request, 
I  read  it  over  to  him  in  his  chamber.  With 
all  the  acuteness  and  vivacity  of  mind  of  his 


A  Christian  Educator        163 

best  years  he  made  me  pause  upon  words 
and  statements,  to  insure  simplicity  and  ex- 
actness as  to  phrase  and  fact.  And  then, 
with  most  courteous  deUcacy,  he  soUcited  of 
me  as  a  favor,  what  more  than  wiUingly  I  am 
now  to  do,  adding  also  the  suggestion  that 
I  should  preface  the  reading  by  telling  you 
how  it  fell  to  me.  I  would  answer  but 
vaguely  his  full  question  as  to  what  I  thought 
might  be  immediately  before  him.  Trust 
and  hope  are  always  full  and  fair  for  such  as 
he.  More  difficult  was  it  to  meet  the  in- 
quiry of  his  faithful  partner :  '  I  have  lived 
with  him  fifty  years.  He  is  a  pure  man. 
Am  I  going  to  lose  my  dear  husband  ? '  Care- 
ful preparations  had  been  made  for  his  pas- 
sage to  Boston  yesterday,  but  spirit  and 
body  then  chose  to  part,  and  took  their  ways 
to  different  homes." 

This  chaste  and  beautiful  tribute  was  re- 
ceived with  profound  attention,  and  the 
earnest  impressiveness  of  the  speaker  pro- 
duced deep  emotion  in  the  vast  assemblage. 


CHAPTER   X 

RETROSPECT 

Thus  passed  from  human  sight  (on  July  6, 
1880)  a  leader  of  men  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. How  can  we  best  interpret  the  facts 
brought  to  mind  by  this  imperfect  sketch  of 
his  life?  Of  one  thing  we  may  be  certain, 
namely,  that  he  was  debtor  to  his  parents 
for  a  nature  of  uncommon  resources,  for  a 
brain  of  fine  qualities,  a  soul  of  noble  im- 
pulses, and  a  body  of  manly  proportions. 
He  was  born  for  strenuous  action,  and  would 
have  achieved  distinction  in  any  form  of 
public  service  which  he  had  chosen.  There 
is,  indeed,  no  evidence  that  he  was  a  bom 
poet,  or  that  he  could  have  excelled  in  writing 
verses;  but  almost  anything  else  he  seemed 
able  to  do.  One  cannot  be  too  thankful  for 
an  intelligent  and  vigorous  ancestry. 

But  heredity  does  not  really  account  for 
164 


A  Christian  Educator         165 

individuality.  Doctor  Sears  was  in  many 
respects  superior  to  any  of  his  family.  He 
was  in  fact  a  new  and  self -trained  man.  The 
steps  of  his  progress  from  the  age  of  fifteen 
to  the  end  were  self -chosen  and  resolute ;  the 
goal  which  he  set  before  his  eyes  from  the 
first  was  distant  and  shining.  He  sought  to 
become  a  true  servant  of  God  by  serving 
truly  the  highest  interests  of  man;  and  for 
long  years,  at  his  own  charges,  he  persisted 
in  qualifying  himself  for  this  high  calling.  In 
those  years  the  fibre  of  his  being  was  tested 
and  made  firm,  the  mettle  of  his  spirit  was 
proved  and  seen  to  be  pure  and  ardent. 
Reason,  memory,  and  conscience  were  sub- 
jected to  severe  discipline,  and  by  means  of 
humane  studies  his  knowledge  of  what  is  in 
man  was  steadily  augmented.  He  was  in 
the  end  well  read  in  the  lore  of  the  soul. 
What  a  lesson  does  his  career  offer  to  an 
American  youth  who  is  asking :  What  am  I  to 
do  in  life?  How  can  a  farmer  boy  without 
help  reach  a  sphere  of  large  influence  among 
men? 


1 66  Barnas  Sears 

Yet  it  is  not  strictly  accurate  to  say  that 
Barnas  Sears  was  altogether  self-trained. 
For  '* there's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
rough  hew  them  as  we  will" ;  and  there  was 
at  least  one  impulse  to  sublime  endeavor  in 
the  soul  of  young  Sears  which  it  would  be 
wrong  to  forget.  He  early  became  a  King's 
son,  with  a  loyal  and  loving  heart,  and  the 
presence  of  that  invisible  King  in  his  soul 
was  a  source  of  light  and  holy  impulse  never 
to  be  overlooked.  His  religious  convictions 
were  deep  and  steadfast,  the  action  of  his 
conscience  was  controlling,  and  his  love  to 
God  was  unfailing  and  crescent  to  the  last. 
His  sermons  to  the  students  at  Brown,  as 
well  as  his  Chapel  talks  to  them,  on  occasions, 
were  referred  to  by  Professor  Lincoln  at  the 
funeral  as  often  both  tender  and  impressive. 
There  was  in  him  ''a  well  of  water  springing 
up  into  life  eternal,"  which  contributed  even 
more  than  his  simply  human  purpose  to  his 
education  and  success  as  an  educator. 

This  had  something  also  to  do  with  his 
manliness  and  courtesy.     For  he  was  singu- 


A  Christian  Educator        167 

larly  attractive  in  his  intercourse  with  per- 
sons younger  than  himself.  His  manner  was 
that  of  undisguised  friendship,  not  that 
of  dignified  though  graceful  condescension. 
Young  men  soon  felt  at  home  in  his  study. 
They  were  somehow  made  to  understand 
that  he  was  a  brother  in  spirit,  considerate 
of  their  feelings,  their  hopes,  and  their 
anxieties.  He  wielded  without  apparent  ef- 
fort the  sceptre  of  good  breeding  and  fellow- 
feeling  combined.  They  looked  upon  his 
benignant  face  with  delight;  they  noticed 
the  sparkle  of  his  eye  with  answering  pleas- 
ure. He  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  which 
presupposes  both  humanity  and  piety.  He 
was  not  saintly,  but  good  and  true  and  open- 
hearted.     So  they  trusted  him  fully. 

That  he  was  a  distinguished  scholar,  in  a 
broad  and  true  sense  of  the  words,  is  un- 
questionable; not  a  specialist  in  any  one 
language  or  natural  science,  but  a  man  of 
tmcommon  knowledge  in  many  departments 
of  study;  a  natural  linguist,  historian,  and 
logician;  a  man  of  quick  and  penetrating 


1 68  Barnas  Sears 

insight,  of  easy  versatility,  of  untiring  energy 
in  quest  of  truth,  and  hospitable  to  new  dis- 
coveries without  being  easily  disturbed  in 
older  principles.  He  was  so  well  informed 
on  almost  all  the  subjects  of  human  thought, 
that  it  was  ever  a  pleasure  to  converse  with 
him  on  any  question  before  the  public. 

That  he  was  an  able  teacher  will  also  be 
conceded  by  those  who  sat  at  his  feet  in  the 
class-room;  not  a  martinet  or  drill-master; 
not  a  man  who  loved  to  have  his  ipsissima 
verba  repeated,  as  all  his  pupils  were  aware; 
but  one  who  opened  broad  fields  of  inquiry, 
stimulated  thought,  and  encouraged  those 
before  him  to  employ  their  own  judgment 
and  conscience  in  the  interpretation  of  his- 
tory and  of  life.  His  method  perhaps  was 
not  suited  to  every  pupil,  but  it  was  very 
inspiring  and  profitable  to  many,  certainly 
to  those  who  were  already  graduates  from  col- 
lege and  engaged  in  studies  for  the  ministry. 

Doctor  Sears  was  also  a  superb  adminis- 
trator. This  appeared  in  his  connection 
with  Newton,  with  the  Massachusetts  Board 


A  Christian  Educator         169 

of  Education,  with  Brown  University,  and 
with  the  Peabody  Trust.  In  the  last  im- 
portant post  his  administrative  capacity  was 
signally  displayed.  No  one  familiar  with 
the  circumstances  can  entertain  any  doubt 
on  this  point.  The  fruits  of  his  work  were 
most  beneficent,  and  one  half  the  land  has 
reason  to  remember  him  as  a  singularly  wise 
and  courageous  advocate  of  public  schools 
where  they  were  at  first  looked  upon  with 
suspicion.  His  influence  was  a  blessing  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  people  of  the  South. 
*'  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall 
be  called  the  children  of  God.'' 

The  springs  and  afiiuents  of  this  beneficent 
life  must  be  sought  in  many  quarters :  first 
of  all,  in  the  grace  and  providence  of  God ; 
but  then,  in  the  ancestral  heritage  of  capac- 
ity from  the  Sears  and  Granger  blood  united ; 
in  the  pure  airs  and  clear  waters  of  Berkshire ; 
in  the  wholesome  food  and  outdoor  toil  of 
farm  life;  in  the  district  schools  of  former 
times,  whether  as  pupil  or  teacher;  in  the 
drill    of    worthy  masters    fitting    boys    for 


I70  Barnas  Sears 

college ;  in  the  professors  and  books  of  a  New 
England  college;  in  the  special  and  more 
thorough  discussions  of  theological  teachers ; 
in  the  lessons  of  pastoral  experience  and 
classical  study;  in  the  schools  of  Germany 
and  France,  and  the  literatures  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  of  Palestine  and  Arabia,  of 
Prussia  and  Paris ;  in  the  society  of  savants 
and  rulers ;  in  books  of  history  and  logic  and 
science  consulted  in  preparing  for  his  work 
as  teacher  of  theology,  or  Secretary  of  the 
Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  or  Presi- 
dent of  Brown  University,  or  General  Agent 
of  the  Peabody  Fund ;  and  indeed  in  all  the 
changes  of  nature  and  of  society  passing  be- 
fore his  eyes  in  the  lapse  of  years.  His 
spirit  was  open  to  all  kinds  of  ennobling 
influence.  It  was  capacious  and  thirsty 
enough  to  welcome  affluents  of  knowledge 
and  holy  impulse  from  current  events  in 
human  progress,  as  well  as  from  the  beautiful 
aspects  of  nature. 

But  the  issues  of  his  life  were  even  richer 
than  its  affluents,  because  they  took  addi- 


A  Christian  Educator         171 

tional  force  and  beauty  from  his  noble  pur- 
pose. Hence  these  issues  found  their  way 
to  the  play  fellows  of  his  childhood,  to  the 
schoolmates  of  his  youth,  to  his  comrades  in 
the  academy,  to  his  associates  in  the  college 
and  the  seminary,  to  his  flock  in  Hartford 
and  his  pupils  in  Hamilton,  to  his  fellow- 
students  in  Germany  and  his  friends  in 
Hamburg  and  Paris,  to  his  pupils  in  Newton 
and  to  the  whole  body  of  school  teachers  in 
Massachusetts,  to  the  undergraduates  of 
Brown  University  and  the  public  men  of  all 
the  South.  The  number  of  men  whose 
careers  he  did  much  to  ennoble  is  past  com- 
putation, and  the  spreading  streams  of  his 
influence  will  flow  on  until  time  shall  be  no 
longer.  In  him  was  fulfilled  the  Psalmist's 
language : 

**  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  rivers  of 
water, 
That  bringeth  forth  its  fruit  in  its  season, 
Whose  leaf  also  doth  not  wither, 
And  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper/* 

Doctor  Sears  will  be  remembered  as  an 


172  Barnas  Sears 

educator.  His  last  address  was  on  the  sub- 
ject of  education,  and  the  last  words  of  that 
address,  though  not  read  at  Saratoga,  were 
full  of  wisdom. 

*' Fifty  years  ago, — ^let  me  say  in  conclu- 
sion,— we  thought  we  had  already  reached 
the  goal  of  human  knowledge.  We  now 
look  back  on  what  we  knew  then,  some- 
what as  we  then  looked  upon  what  the 
ancients  knew.  Let  us  learn  to  think  mod- 
estly of  our  attainments,  and  wonderingly 
at  the  tmsolved  mysteries  of  our  own  being, 
of  nature,  and  of  Providence.  Neither  Hux- 
ley nor  Spencer  can  teach  us  all  things.  The 
time  may  come  when  they  and  w^e,  and  all 
the  men  of  our  day,  will  be  regarded  as  mere 
smatterers  in  knowledge.  What  we  know 
not,  and  cannot  know  in  this  age,  may  be 
revealed  to  those  who  come  after  us. 

*' Humility  in  the  solemn  presence  of 
a  mysterious  universe,  and  reverence 
FOR  THE  Power  that  framed  it,  best  be- 
come THOSE  who  are  BUT  THE  CREATURES 
OF   A   DAY.'' 


>• 

UJ 

o 

O 


/ 


APPENDIX 

Mrs.  Sears  was  the  daughter  of  Deacon  Elijah  and 
Elizabeth  (Watson)  Corey,  of  Brookline,  Mass.  She 
was  bom  November  21,  1809,  being  therefore  seven 
years  and  two  days  younger  than  her  husband,  and  was 
named  for  her  mother  Elizabeth.  She  died  in  Staunton, 
Virginia,  March  23,  1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years,  three  months,  and  two  days.  Her  father  united 
with  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Newton  ("  Father  Graf- 
ton's") in  181 1,  was  dismissed  by  letter  to  unite  with 
others  in  forming  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Cam- 
bridge in  181 7,  and  became  still  later  a  constituent 
member  of  the  Brookline  Baptist  Church.  ''Deacon 
Corey  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  and  influential 
Baptists  of  his  time.  His  home  was  open  to  ministers 
and  students.  Upon  a  given  Sabbath  a  young  student 
rode  home  with  him  from  the  Cambridge  church,  and 
that  day  Bamas  Sears  and  Elizabeth  Corey  met  for  the 
first  time.  Two  years  ago  last  July,  Doctor  Sears  died 
at  Saratoga.  As  the  family  were  going  to  Brookline 
for  his  burial,  Mrs.  Sears  said  to  her  children,  during  a 
detention  at  Albany,  that  it  was  just  fifty  years  (July 
7,  1830-July  7,  1880)  since  she  passed  through  that 
city  on  her  way  to  Hamilton  as  a  bride."  Mrs.  Sears 
was  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Pratt,  whose  husband,  John 
Pratt,  D.D.,  was  president  of  Granville  College  (now 
Denison  University),  Ohio,  and  she  was  half-sister  to 
Mrs.  Comstock,  whose  husband  died  so  prematurely  in 
Arracan,  Burma.  Mrs.  Sears 's  grandfather.  Captain  Tim- 
othy Corey,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  beginning 

173 


174  Barnas  Sears 

his  service  at  the  battle  of  Lexington ,  April  19,1775.  It 
has  been  truly  said  of  her  that  "her  quiet  power  enabled 
her  to  supplement  the  needs  of  her  husband's  intense 
intellectual  activities  by  the  closest  and  most  careful 
attention  to  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  home  life.  .  .  . 
A  bright  young  student  said  of  her  once :  *  She  has  the 
most  authoritative  simplicity  of  any  person  I  ever 
knew.'  It  was  this  that  made  her  the  noble  wife, 
woman,  mother  that  she  was."  Doctor  Sears  was 
always  sure  of  her  affection  and  wisdom,  and  his  last 
will  is  evidence  of  the  mutual  confidence  which  marked 
their  intercourse  through  half  a  century.  "I  do  be- 
queath and  devise  to  my  wife,  Elizabeth  G.  Sears,  all 
of  my  property  of  every  description,  both  real  and 
personal,  whether  being  in  the  State  of  Virginia  or 
Massachusetts  or  West  Virginia,  or  which  I  may  here- 
after acquire,  to  be  her  own  absolute  property,  and  to 
be  disposed  of  in  any  way  she  may  desire.  This  I  do 
because  she  gave  me  the  share  she  inherited  in  her 
father's  estate,  and  because  I  have  perfect  confidence 
that  she  will  do  what  is  reasonable  and  just  for  our 
children." 

From  the  following  paragraph  in  the  Vindicator,  one 
may  learn  the  disposition  which  Mrs.  Sears  made  of  the 
property  bequeathed  to  her:  "The  will  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  G.  Sears,  deceased,  relict  of  the  late  Doctor 
Barnas  Sears,  was  also  admitted  to  probate  in  this 
court.  The  testator  bequeaths  two  tracts  of  coal  land, 
400  acres  and  260  acres  respectively  in  Fayette  Co., 
West  Va.,  to  her  children,  Wm.  B.,  Edward  H.,  and 
Robert  Sears,  and  Mrs.  Lizzie  S.  Fultz;  the  property 
at  Brookline,  Mass.,  including  the  old  Corey  home- 
stead, to  her  sons,  Wm.  B.,  Edward  H.,  and  Robert  D. 
Sears;  the  interest  on  $7,000  for  life  to  her  son  E.  D. 
Sears;  all  her  property  in  the  city  of  Staunton,  in- 
cluding her  residence  on  Sears 's  hill  with  its  furniture,. 


A  Christian  Educator         175 

books,  pictures,  etc.,  and  also  the  houses  and  lots  in 
West  End,  to  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lizzie  S.  Fultz,  and 
the  forty  acres  of  land  lying  west  of  and  near  Staunton, 
known  as  "The  Garden,"  to  her  son-in-law,  Dr.  J.  H. 
Fultz.  The  testator  appointed  Capt.  Alex.  H.  Fultz 
as  her  executor.  Capt.  Fultz  has  qualified,  giving 
bond   in   the    sum    of   $8,000." 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Sears  had  five  children,  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  as  follows: 

I.  William  Barnas,  born  Hamilton,  Madison  Co., 
N.  Y.,  July  II,  1832. 

II.  Lizzie  Corey,  bom  Newton  Center,  Mass.,  Octo- 
ber 14,  1838;  died  January  25,  1900,  Chicago,  111. 

III.  Edward  Henry,  bom  Newton  Center,  Mass., 
October  4,  1840;  died  August  22,  1886,  Dorchester, 
Mass. 

IV.  Robert  Davis,  born  Newton  Center,  Mass. ,  June 
28,  1842. 

V.  Edmund  Dwight,  bom  Newton  Center,  Mass., 
June  28,  1852;  died  November  10,  1883,  Staunton,  Va. 

William  Barnas  Sears  was  educated  in  private  schools 
or  by  private  teachers  in  Newton  Center.  He  was 
for  a  time  an  assistant  teacher  of  German,  Latin, 
and  Greek  in  the  Pierce  Academy.  June  6,  1861,  he 
was  commissioned  by  Governor  Sprague  ist  Lieutenant 
2d  Regiment  Rhode  Island  Volunteers,  and  October 
28th  of  the  same  year,  Captain.  He  was  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  under  McClellan,  Bumside,  Hooker, 
Meade,  and  Grant,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  the 
Peninsula,  Antietam,  Gettysburg,  and  the  Wilderness, 
leading  his  company  in  many  desperate  struggles  with 
the  enemy.  June  17,  1864,  his  term  of  enlistment 
having  expired,  he  was  mustered  out,  and  returned  to 
private  life  and  business  pursuits.  His  career  as  a 
soldier  was  patriotic,  and  he  left  the  army  honored  by 


176  Barnas  Sears 

his  superiors  as  well  as  by  those  under  his  command. 
In  business  and  social  life,  and  in  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  he  has  always  deserved  the  confidence 
of  his  associates,  and  has  been  called  to  fill  several 
positions  of  honor  and  usefulness.  His  valuable  assist- 
ance to  the  writer  in  verifying  dates,  contributing  facts, 
and  presenting  photograph  plates,  is  gratefully  ac- 
knowledged. 

Lizzie  Corey  Sears,  as  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Fultz,  M.D., 
and  as  the  private  secretary  of  her  father  during  many 
years  of  his  agency  for  the  Peabody  Fund,  gave  ample 
proof  of  cultivated  powers  and  high  character.  The 
friends  of  Doctor  Sears  are  indebted  to  her  for  the  record 
of  many  incidents  in  the  life  of  her  father,  and  for  the 
publication  of  selections  from  his  home  correspondence 
while  in  Germany.  She  appreciated  her  father,  as  did 
the  other  children  also,  and  the  story  of  his  life  in  these 
pages  has  been  enriched  by  not  a  few  paragraphs  from 
her  pen.  Although  she  died  in  Chicago,  her  body  was 
brought  to  Brookline  and  placed  in  the  Corey  family 
tomb,  with  those  of  her  parents. 

Edward  Henry  Sears  was  in  Brown  University  one 
year,  September  i ,  1 860-June  5,1861.  At  the  last  date 
he  was  made  ist  Lieutenant  2d  Regiment  Rhode 
Island  Infantry;  July  2 1 ,  1 861  (first  battle  of  Bull  Run) , 
he  was  made  Captain  of  Company  D,  and  December 
2,  1 86 1,  was  commissioned  ist  Lieutenant  of  Battery 
G,  Light  Artillery.  He  was  in  action  at  Yorktown,  Va., 
Fair  Oaks,  Malvern  Hill,  second  Bull  Run,  Antietam, 
and  Fredericksburg,  Va.  On  August  22,  1863,  he  was 
appointed  Acting-assistant  Paymaster  U.  S.  Navy,  and 
ordered  to  report  to  the  gunboat  Underwriter  at  New- 
beme,  N.  C.  The  crew  of  the  Underwriter  was  killed 
or  captured  by  the  Confederates,  and  he  was  a  prisoner 
of  war  at  Kingston,  N.  C,  Danville,  Va.,  Libby,  Rich- 
mond, the  stockade  at  Macon,  Ga.,  and  Roper  Buildings 


MRS.  ELIZABETH  COREY  SEARS 


MRS.  LIZZIE  SEARS  FULT2 


CAPT.  EDWARD  H.  SEARS 


A  Christian  Educator         177 

in  Charleston,  S.  C,  nine  months,  and  then  released  by 
exchange,  November  15,  1864.  He  was  ordered  to  re- 
port to  the  U.  S.  S.  Wachusett,  of  the  Chinese  Naval 
Squadron,  December  15,  1864,  in  which  he  served  until 
June  22 ,  1868.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Staun- 
ton, Va.,  December  21,  1869,  and  held  the  office  six 
years.  His  subsequent  career  in  business  life  was  such 
as  to  command  the  respect  and  gain  the  good  will  of 
those  who  knew  him.  "His  great  enjoyments"  are 
said  to  have  been  "in  sketching,  drawing,  music,  read- 
ing, hunting,  and  yachting.  He  possessed  a  keen  sense 
of  the  ludicrous,  and  was  full  of  wit  and  humor." 

A  third  son,  Robert  Davis,  bore  the  title  Lieutenant, 
but  was  prevented  by  sickness  from  engaging  in  actual 
service. 


INDEX 


Academies,  lo,  ii 

Agassiz,  Prof.  J.  L.  R.,  Associate  in  Teachers'  Insti- 
tutes, 78 

Aiken,  Hon.  William,  iii 

American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  Dr.  Sears  as 
President  of,  143 

"American  Encyclopedia,"  articles  in,  56 

Ancestry  of  Dr.  Sears,  i 

Augustine,  article  on,  in  Christian  Review,  58;  quoted, 
69 

Azores,  Passage  to,  27 

Beecher,  Miss  Caroline,  School  of,  20 

Bekker,  Prof.  Immanuel,  50 

Berkshire  County,  2,  4,  5 

Berlin,  25,  29,  50 

Bihliotheca  Sacra,  articles  in,  56,  58 

Bock,  Prof.  Karl  Ernst,  50 

Bopp,  Prof.  Franz,  50 

Bout  well,  Hon.  Geo.  S.,  estimate  of,  of  Dr.  Sears,  76; 

as  Secretary  of  Board  of  Education,  77-80 
Bradford,  Hon.  E.  A.,  11 1 
Brookline,  19,  26 
Brown  University,    preparation  of  Dr.  Sears  for,   10; 

entrance  and  graduation  of  Dr.  Sears  at,  11,  12; 

absence  of  sectarian  teaching  at,  13;    presidency 

of  Dr.  Sears  of,  91-109 
Burgess  "On  Baptism,"  article  in   Christian  Review, 

57 
Burleson,  Rev.  Dr.,  129,  130 
Burrage,  Rev.  H.  S.,  D.D.,  letter  of,  concerning  Dr. 

Sears  at  Brown,  99-101 

Chase,  Prof.  Irah,  D.D.,  18 
Chatham,  Mass.,  3 

179 


i8o  Index 


"China,  its  Geography  and  Religion,"  article  on,  in 

Christian  Review,  57 
Christian  Review,  Dr.  Sears  as  editor  of,  56;  articles  in. 

57^58 

"Ciceronian,  The,"  58 

Clifford,  Hon.  John  H.,  iii,  132 

Colchester,  England,  i 

Colgate  University.  See  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theo- 
logical Institution 

College,  preparation  for,  9-10 

Colleges  of  that  day,  12-14 

Common  country  schools  at  that  time,  5-8 

Comstock,  Rev.  G.  S.  and  wife,  34 

Conversion  of  Dr.  Sears,  9 

Cooley,  Rev.  Timothy  M.,  10 

Corey,  Deacon  Elijah,  19 

Corey,  Mrs.  Elijah,  34 

Corey,  Miss  Elizabeth  G.,  20,  26 

Curry,  Hon.  J.  L.  M.,  opinion  of,  on  Dr.  Sears's  fitness 
for  agency  of  Peabody  Fund,  123-125 

De  Wette,  Prof.  W.  M.  L.,  47 
Dies  Irce,  sung  at  Halle,  37 

Eaton,  Pres.  George  W.,  D.D.,  address  by,  23 

Education  in  country  schools  of  that  time,  5-8 

Edwards,  Prof.  B.  B.,  D.D.,  58 

Elbe,  the,  27,  28,  31 

Ellis,  Rev.  Geo.  E.,  D.D.,  remarks  of,  at  funeral  of  Dr. 

Sears,  160-163 
Emerson,  George  B.,  78 
Evarts,  Hon.  Wm.  M.,  in,  132 
Executive  Committee  of  American  Baptist  Missionary 

Union,  member  of,  57,  142 

Felton,  Pres.  C.  C,  58,  78 

Fish,  Hon.  Hamilton,  no,  112,  132 

France,  26 

General  Agent  of  the  Peabody  Education  Fund,  iio- 

150 
"  German  Grammar,  Noehden's,"  author  of,  58 
Germany,  visited,  24,  53 
Gesenius,  Prof.  F.  H.,  35,  47 


Index  i8i 


Graham,  Hon.  Wm.  A.,  m 

Grant,  Gen.  U.  S.,  no,  132 

Granville,  10 

Grimm,  Jakob,  50 

Guild,  Reuben  A.,  LL.D.,  estimate  by,  of  Dr.  Sears's 

work  at  Brown,  107 
Guizot,  F.  P.  G.,  51 
Guyot,  Prof.  A.  H.,  78 

Halle,  25,  29,  30,  35-38 

Halle  University  Church,  37-41;   music  in,  38-40 

Halle  University,  lecture- room  work  in,  44-47 

Hamburg,  26,  28,  29,  30,  31,  48 

Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution,^  pro- 
fessor of  ancient  languages  in,  23,  54;  professor  of 
Biblical  Theology  in,  24,  53,  54 

Hamilton,  pastorate  at,  24,  32 

Hanover,  30 

Harkness,  ProL  A.,  LL.D.,  Ph.D.,  letter  of,  concerning 
Dr.  Sears  at  Brown,  93-95 

Hartford,  pastorate  at,  20,  22 

Hartwell,  Jesse,  10 

Harwich,  3 

Havre,  48 

Hayes,  President  R.  B.,  132 

Helmstadt,  30 

Hengstenberg,  Prof.  E.  W.,  47,  51,  68 

Hermann,  Prof.  J.  G.  J.,  48,  49 

"Historical  Studies,"  article  by  Dr.  Sears  on,  in  Bib- 
liotheca  Sacra,  58 

Jackson,  Hon.  Henry  R.,  133 

Keene,  Mr.,  of  South  Carolina,  133 

Leipsic,  25,  29,  48,  49,  50 

Lincoln,  Prof.  Heman,  122,  159 

Lincoln,  Prof.  John  L.,  LL.D.,  remarks  by,  at  funeral 
of  Dr.  Sears,  95-99,  166 

**  Luther,  Martin,  The  Life  of,"  by  Dr.  Sears,  58;  *'  Se- 
lect Treatises  of,"  edited  by  Dr.  Sears,  58  ;  "  The 
Religious  Experience  of,"  in  the  cloister  of  Er- 
furt, article  on,  in  Bihliotheca  Sacra,  58 

*•* Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institution"    became,  in 
1846,  "Madison  University,"  and,  in  1890,  "Colgate  University." 


i82  Index 


Macalester,  Charles,  iii 

Mcllvaine,  Right  Rev.  Charles  P.,  no,  112,  132 
Madison  University.     See  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theo- 
logical Institution 
Mann,  Horace,  4,  76,  81,  82,  90 
Marks,  Professor,  36 
Mason,  Lowell,  78 
Miiller,  Prof.  J.,  50 
Muretus,  M.  A.,  50 

Neander's  **  Church  History,"  article  on,  in  Christian 
Review,  57 

Neander,  Prof.  J.  A.  W.,  51 

New  Boston  district,  3 

Newton  Theological  Institution,  student  in,  17-19; 
Professor  of  Christian  Theology  in,  54;  President 
of,  56 

"Noehden's  German  Grammar,"  translated  and  re- 
vised, 58 

Normal  Schools,  established  in  Massachusetts,  78; 
supported  by  State,  88 

North  Sea,  crossed  by  Dr.  Sears  in  storm,  27 

Olshausen,  Prof.  Hermann,  47 

Oncken,  Rev.  J.  G.,  26;  baptized  and  ordained,  29,  31, 

32 
Origen,  69 

"Papacy,  The,  and  the  Empire,"  article  on,  in  Bihlio- 

theca  Sacra,  58 
Paris,  visited  by  Dr.  Sears,  25,  51,  52 
Peabody  Education  Fund,  General  Agent  of,  1 10-150 
Peabody,    George,    letter   of,   creating    the    Peabody 

Education  Fund,  110-112,  122,  129,  132 
"Pelagian   Controversy,"    by   Wigger,    article   on,  in 

Christian  Review ,  57 
Pertz,  G.  H.,  51 
Pidge,  Rev.  J.  B.  G.,  D.D.,  letter  of,   concerning  Dr. 

Sears  at  Brown,  102,  104 
Plumb,   Rev.   A.  H.,   D.D.,   estimate  of  Dr.  Sears  as 

Professor,    104,   105  ;   estimate  of  Dr.  Sears  in  a 

revival,  105 
Preparatory  schools,  10- 11 


Index  183 


Public  Schools,  Religious  Teaching  in,  report  on,  83; 
Obstacles  to,  report  on,  85,  86;  control  of,  by- 
towns,  87 

Public  school  teachers,  better  qualifications  for,  87 

Ranke,  Prof.  Leopold,  50 

"  Redepenning's  Life  of  Origen,"  article  on,  in  Christian 

Review,  58 
"Reformers  before  the  Reformation,"   article  on,  in 

Bibliotheca  Sacra,  58 
"  Religious  Experience,  The,  of  Luther  in  the  Cloister  of 

Erfurt,"  article  in  Bibliotheca  Sacra,  58 
"  Religious  Teaching  in  Public  Schools,"  report  on,  83 
Riggs,  Geo.  W.,  Esq.,  11 1 
Ripley,  Prof.  Henry  J.,  D.D.,  18 
Ritter,  Prof.  Karl,  50 
Rives,  Hon.  Wm.  C,  iii 
Rosenmiiller,  Prof.  E.  F.  K.,  48 
Rostan,  J.  C,  52 
Ruhnken,  Prof.  David,  50 
Russell,  George  Peabody,  11 1 
Russell,  Professor,  in  teachers'  institutes,  78 

Sandisfield,  2,  3,  4 

Sears,  Bamas,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  ancestry  of,  1-4,  164;  early 
education  of,  4 ;  conversion  of,  9 ;  first  teaching  by, 
10;  preaching  of,  while  at  college,  16;  election  of, 
to  professorship  at  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theo- 
logical Institute,  23,  53,  54;  professorship  of,  at 
Newton  Theological  Institute,  54;  articles  by,  in 
"American  Encyclopedia,"  56;  election  of,  as 
president  of  Newton  Theological  Institute,  56; 
magazine  articles  by,  56,  57,  58;  membership 
of  Executive  Committee  of  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union,  57,  142;  books  by,  58  ;  ability 
of,  as  teacher,  59-63,  65-67,  139-141,  169;  ex- 
tensive reading  of,  61,  155;  theology  of,  64;  epi- 
tome of  " Introduction  to  Course  in  Theology"  by, 
68-75  J  secretaryship  of  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Education,  76-90;  report  of,  for  1855,  on  "Re- 
ligious Teaching  in  the  PubHc  Schools,"  ^7, ;  report 
of,  for  1856,  on  "Obstacles  to  Public  School  Edu- 
cation," 85-87  ;  presidency  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity, 91-109;    letter  of,  to  Robert  C.  Winthrop, 


i84  Index 


Sears,  Bamas,  D.D.,  LL.D. — Continued. 

concerning  Peabody  Education  Fund,  1 13-1 19 ;  ap- 
pointment of,  as  General  Agent  of  Peabody  Fund, 
120;  results  of  work  of,  in  the  South, — common- 
school  system  adopted,  good  school  laws  enacted, 
normal  schools  founded,  teachers'  institutes  estab- 
lished, 120-150;  death  of,  164;  self-training  of, 
165;  religious  convictions  of,  166;  personality  of , 
166;  scholarship  of,  167;  administrative  ability 
of,  168,  169 

Sears,  Richard,  the  emigrant  ancestor,  i 

Sears,  Paul,  the  father,  2 

Sears,  Paul,  the  grandfather,  3,  4  ^ 

Sears,  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  G.  C.     See  Miss  E.  G.  Corey 

Separatist,  4 

Standing  order,  3 

Staunton,  Va.,  122,  151,  153-155 

Stearns,  Rev.  Eben  S.,  D.D.,  138,  148 

Stearns,  Prof.  O.  S.,  D.D.,  iv.,  23,  55,  57,  65-67 

Stuart,  Prof.  Moses,  D.D.,  18 

Teachers'  institutes,  78,  80,  81,  82,  88 

Texas,  State  of,  canvassed  in  aid  of  public  schools,  129 

"The  Ciceronian,"  author  of,  58 

"The  Life  of  Martin  Luther,"  author  of,  58 

Tholuck,  Prof.  F.  A.  G.,  35,  36;   sermon  of,  41-43 

Trustees  of  the  Peabody  Fund,  99 

Wayland,  Pres.  Francis,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  95,  96,  154 

Weser,  the,  27 

Wetmore,  Samuel,  iii 

Whipple,  Right  Rev.  H.  B.,  132,  133,  134 

Wigger,  "  Pelagian  Controversy,  article  on,"  in  Christian 
Review,  57 

Winer,  Prof.  George  B.,  48,  49 

Winthrop,  Hon.  R.  C,  Trustee  and  Chairman  of  Pea- 
body Education  Fund,  110-113;  letter  to,  by  Dr. 
Sears,  11 3-1 19;  address  by,  at  funeral  of  Dr. 
Sears,  130-134;  opinion  of,  of  results  of  Dr.  Sears's 
work  in  the  South,  145 

Wittenbach,  50 

Zumpt,  Prof.  K.  G.,  50 


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